The Cancer Genome Atlas Project compared SCC tissue samples to normal pulmonary tissue to identify potential actionable mutations, and 11 common genomic abnormalities were observed, including those touching tumor protein 53, cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), and PIK3CA. 10The genetic complexity of SCC is largely attributable to tobacco smoking, which compromises treatment success. This evidence concerns the gene CDKN2A and cancer.