In a direct comparison of the D2–40 antibody and an antibody against podoplanin on paraffin sections of a series of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, both antibodies were shown to have extremely high specificity (99.7 and 98.8% for podoplanin and D2–40) and sensitivity (92.6 and 97.3% for podoplanin and D2–40) for lymphatic endothelium (Evangelou et al, 2005). This evidence concerns the gene PDPN and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.