We found that BMI1, CD44, SOX2, OCT4, UBE2C, FAM3C, CXCR4, NANOG, and RRM2 mRNA levels were significantly increased while IGF-1R, KLF4, and ALDH1A were decreased in OSCC samples compared to healthy adjacent mucosa and that this trend significantly correlated with tumor stage (Fig 2). This evidence concerns the gene CD44 and neoplasm.