Collectively, these results showed association between the cytosolic localization of p62 and HPV(-) HNSCC tumor progression, consistent with a previous report that increased LC3 puncta, high cytoplasmic p62, and low nuclear p62 expressions are associated with poor prognosis and aggressive clinicopathologic features of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) [43]. This evidence concerns the gene SQSTM1 and neoplasm.