TP53 and cancer: There is evidence from the literature that p53 overexpression (and p53 mutations) and HR-HPV positivity are inversely correlated in oropharyngeal and vulvar cancer, which led to the classification of molecularly distinct tumour entities (HR-HPV positive/p53 expression negative and HR-HPV negative/p53 expression positive) that also show marked differences in their clinical behaviour (Kruse et al, 2008; Smith et al, 2008), though p53 has also been found strongly expressed in some HR-HPV transformed cancer cells (Cheah and Looi, 2002).