PTGS2 and neoplasm: Several biomarkers related to HNSCC pathogenesis and tumor progression have been described, including TP53 mutations [4], the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) [5] or its surrogate marker p16 [6] and altered expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which can provide prognostic information [1, 7, 8].