HPV-16/18 detection does not affect the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in younger and older patients

Abstract

Abstract.Recently, high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) has emerged as a possible agent associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in younger patients. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of age on the distribution of HPV-16/18 in HNSCC, together with the impact of the virus on patient prognosis. A longitudinal prospective study was used adjusted for age, gender, TNM staging, smoking status and alcohol consumption. HPV was detected by PCR with consensus primers. Results showed there was no difference in the frequency of HPV-16/18 positivity when younger patients were compared to the older patients. No association was found among highrisk HPV positivity, gender, smoking habit and anatomical site. High-risk HPV was associated with advanced TNM in bivariate analyses; however, it did not impact on survival. Only TNM staging was associated with risk of mortality. Our study supports the theory that age does not affect the presence of HPV-16/18 in HNSCC and has no impact on patient prognosis. The incidence of HNSCC among patients under the age of 45 years is reportedly on the increase worldwide. The factors associated with HNSCC in younger adults are not well established. Findings of this study indicate that HPV-16/18 may not play a role in HNSCC patients under the age of 45 years.

Evaluation of the Prevalence Rate and the Prognostic Effect of Human Papilloma Virus Infection in a Group of Patients With Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…In the present study, the most common tumor site was tongue, and there was no meaningful statistical relation between tumor location and the HPV status. Similar findings have been reported in other studies ( 19 , 29 ).…”

“…In our study, 53.3% of HPV-positive patients were males and 46.7% were females, and there was no meaningful relation between gender and the HPV status. Such findings have been observed in some other studies ( 29 ), although some studies on oropharynx lesions have reported that the HPV-positive cases are predominantly male ( 33 , 41 , 42 , 44 ). In the present study, the most common tumor site was tongue, and there was no meaningful statistical relation between tumor location and the HPV status.…”

“…In the present study, the mean age of the cases was 58.6 years, and there was no statistical difference between the HPV-positive and the HPV-negative groups based on age. Klozar et al ( 13 ) and Marques-silva et al ( 29 ) have come up with similar results. However, in some studies, the HPV-associated patients who suffer from oropharyngeal cancers tend to be younger ( 33 , 39 , 42 , 44 ).…”

“…This widespread variability can be in part due to differences in methodology of HPV detection ways and differences in sample types, populations, and anatomic sites tested ( 27 , 28 ). Moreover, various studies have reported conflicting results for the probable role of HPV on the patient's prognosis ( 15 , 16 , 29 ).…”

Might anxiety disorders promote head and neck cancer development?

“…Despite progress in research and therapy, patient survival has not significantly improved in recent years, posing a significant challenge for science ( Fraga et al, 2012 ; Oliveira et al, 2014 ) from 15 to 61 % of HNSCC arising derived from leukoplakia ( Domingos et al, 2017 ). Although retrospective cohort studies have shown that younger individuals are also at risk for the development of this neoplasm, HNSCC usually develops in middle-aged and older individuals ( Farias et al, 2010 ; Marques-Silva et al, 2012 ; Bewley and Farwell, 2017 ). HNSCC is a preventable disease, in which smoking and alcohol, considered the main risk factors, is associated with 90 % of the cases ( De Paula et al, 2009 ).…”