Rodrigues MFSD, et al. - Experts probed the cancer stem cells (CSCs) markers CD44, NANOG, OCT4, and BMI1 using reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and correlated these markers with clinicopathological parameters. Results demonstrated that an important role could be played by the CSC markers not only in CSC trait acquisition but also in tongue SCC development and progression. An association of coexpression of CD44⁺⁺/NANOG⁺⁺ with worst overall survival was noted when compared with patients with CD44^-/+/NANOG^-/+.