The biomarker p53 is a tumour suppressor involved in apoptosis, and p53 expression has shown mixed prognostic effects in HNSCC with high expression of p53 associated with an increased the risk of locoregional failure, but a decreased risk of distant metastasis.38 The biomarker p53 was heterogeneously expressed (Fig. 3; Supplementary Fig. S4), and the positive spatial correlation between ADC and p53 could suggest that ADC is sensitive to changes in cell morphology during apoptosis31 and the spatial correlation between Ktrans. Here, TP53 is linked to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.