While somatic alterations of TP53 and other DNA double-strand break repair genes (e.g., ATM, BARD1, BRCA2, CHECK2, RAD51B) were identified in 20/70 (28.6%) of NPC, we noticed that the HR signature positive tumors were significantly in possession of these mutations (two-sided Fisher’s exact test p = 0.044; Figs. 1A and 6). This evidence concerns the gene TP53 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.