Shortened survival in drinkers as compared with nondrinkers with oral squamous cell carcinoma has been linked to the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1-alpha (HIF-1α), a biomarker associated with tumor invasion, metastasis, and progression of a variety of human cancers that also plays a central role in angiogenesis. This evidence concerns the gene HIF1A and oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.