TABLE 1.
Demographic and clinical data of HNSCC patients enrolled in the study.
| Age (at the time of sample collection) | Years |
|---|---|
| Range | 18–90 |
| Mean | 59 |
| Variable | Number (%) |
| Sex | |
| Male | 23 (71) |
| Female | 9 (39) |
| Site | |
| Oral Cavity | 10 (31) |
| Oropharynx | 14 (43) |
| Larynx | 07 (21) |
| Hypopharynx | 0 (0) |
| Nasopharynx | 0 (0) |
| Unknown Primary | 1 (3) |
| Primary Tumor | |
| T1 | 8 (25) |
| T2 | 10 (31) |
| T3 | 5 (16) |
| T4 | 8 (25) |
| Unknown | 1 (3) |
| Nodal Status | |
| N0 | 7 (21) |
| N1 | 11 (34) |
| N2 | 11 (34) |
| N3 | 3 (9) |
| Unknown | 0 (0) |
| ECOG performance status | |
| 0 | 6 (19) |
| 1 | 13 (41) |
| 2 | 4 (12) |
| 3 | 1 (3) |
| Unknown | 8 (25) |
| Smoking | |
| No (<10 pack years) | 14 (44) |
| Yes (>10 pack years) | 18 (56) |
| Alcohol | |
| No (<5 drinks/week) | 22 (69) |
| Yes (>5 drinks/week) | 9 (28) |
| Unknown | 1(3) |
| p16 status | |
| Positive | 12 (38) |
| Negative | 13 (41) |
| Unknown | 7 (22) |
HNSCC patients (n = 32) were enrolled in the study upon fulfillment of eligibility criteria. TNM staging system was used to stage tumor size and nodal involvement. T1 to T4 refers to the size and invasion of the tumors. N1 to N3 refers to the assessment of number and location of the regional lymph nodes. The ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status indicates daily quality of life of individuals affected by diseases on a scale of 0–5. Smoking status (pack years) was calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked. We used a cutoff of 10 packs per year to differentiate the smoking status.