Overexpression of desmoplakin, stratifin and keratins typical of proliferative basal cells (keratins 5 and 14) and keratinizing oral mucosal epithelia (keratin 6A and 16) was detected in tumor samples, whereas surgical margins exhibited consistently high levels of a keratin characteristic of suprabasal layers of oral nonkeratinizing epithelia (keratin 4). This evidence concerns the gene DSP and neoplasm.