Table 2. Tumour and normal tissue biopsy characteristics.
| OSCC | Oral cavity controls | PSCC | Pharyngeal controls | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary tumour location | |||||
| Tongue | 15 | 8 | 23 | ||
| Bucca | 2 | 8 | 10 | ||
| Floor of mouth | 7 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Gingiva | 5 | 5 | |||
| Other oral cavity | 1 | 1 | |||
| Tonsil | 5 | 14 | 19 | ||
| Base of tongue | 10 | 1 | 9 | ||
| Other pharynx | 4 | 7 | 11 | ||
| Stage | |||||
| I | 12 | 1 | 13 | ||
| II | 8 | 4 | 12 | ||
| III | 4 | 7 | 11 | ||
| IVa and IVb | 6 | 5 | 11 | ||
| Grade | |||||
| Well differentiated | 5 | 2 | 7 | ||
| Intermediate differentiated | 12 | 7 | 19 | ||
| Poorly differentiated | 13 | 10 | 23 | ||
| p16 positive | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| In situ hybridisation positive | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| PCR HPV positive | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| HPV positive by two parameters | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
Abbreviations: HPV=human papilloma virus; ND=not determined; OSCC=oral squamous cell carcinoma; PCR=polymerase chain reaction; PSCC=pharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.