Interestingly, down regulation of IFI16 resulted in an increased release of IL1β, crucial for innate immune defenses and tumor radiation responses.25,26 Baseline IL1β expression was notably lower in both tumor cells and TME of HPV16-related OPSCC compared to other models, likely due to the activation of IFI16 by HPV16. This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and neoplasm.