Elhalawani H, Mohamed ASR, Elgohari B, et al. - Experts aspired to explore whether tobacco exposure remains a critical modifier of survival for human papillomavirus (HPV)+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) patients. The sample consisted of 611 OPSCC patients with concordant p16 and HPV testing treated at a single institute (2002–2013). Using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression, survival analysis was performed. According to this retrospective analysis, the survival advantage associated with HPV+ status in OPSCC patients can be eliminated by tobacco exposure. De-escalation of treatment for HPV + OPSCC smokers should be avoided until this effect can be clearly quantified using prospective datasets.