Abstract
Although human papillomavirus (HPV)(+) oropharyngeal cancers often present with metastasis, most patients have excellent long-term survival. The reason underlying such an apparent contradiction remains unclear, but we have recently demonstrated that the improved survival of HPV(+) oropharyngeal cancer patients has an immunological component, as the levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) can be used to stratify HPV(+) patients into high-risk and low-risk groups.