About the Authors

Ram Bhupal Reddy

Affiliations Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Division of Medical Biotechnology, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

Anupama Rajan Bhat

Affiliation Strand Life Sciences, Kirloskar Business Park, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Bonney Lee James

Affiliations Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Sindhu Valiyaveedan Govindan

Affiliation Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Rohit Mathew

Affiliation Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Ravindra DR

Affiliations Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Naveen Hedne

Affiliation Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Jeyaram Illiayaraja

Affiliation Department of Clinical Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Vikram Kekatpure

Affiliation Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Samanta S. Khora

Affiliation Division of Medical Biotechnology, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India

Wesley Hicks

Affiliations Department of Head and Neck/Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, United States of America, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre-Roswell Park Collaboration Program, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, United States of America

Pramila Tata

Affiliation Strand Life Sciences, Kirloskar Business Park, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Moni A. Kuriakose

Affiliations Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre-Roswell Park Collaboration Program, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, United States of America

Amritha Suresh

amritha.suresh@ms-mf.org

Affiliations Integrated Head and Neck Oncology Program, Mazumdar Shaw Centre for Translational Research, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Head and Neck Oncology, Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre, Narayana Health, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Competing Interests

Two of the authors are affiliated with the commercial company Strand Life Sciences. This does not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE polices on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: AS ARB PT RBR MAK. Performed the experiments: RBR BLJ SVG RM RDR. Analyzed the data: AS RBR ARB JI PT. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: AS MAK. Wrote the paper: RBR VK SSK NH WH MAK AS. Clinical procedures and investigations, review, follow up: NH VK MAK. Statistical Analysis: JI RBR AS.