While APOBEC is known to be activated by HPV oncoproteins, and through IFN signaling as part of innate immunity/viral nucleic acid sensing, APOBEC mutations are prevalent in non-virally mediated tumors, such as bladder, breast, and lung cancer, as well as non-HPV mediated head and neck cancers, albeit to a lesser degree [1,2,20]. Here, IFNA1 is linked to head and neck cancer.