Human papillomavirus infection in lung and esophageal cancers: Analysis of 485 Asian cases

Abstract

The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of lung and esophageal cancer remains inconclusive, which is in contrast to the established role HPV plays in the development of uterine cervical cancer. One of the reasons for this is the difference among reported HPV infection rates in these cancers. An analysis of 485 lung and esophageal cancers (176 lung squamous cell carcinoma, 128 lung adenocarcinoma, 181 esophageal carcinoma) in eight institutions in Asia (Tokyo, Kochi, Kagoshima, and Okinawa, Japan; Seoul and Daegu, Korea; Changhua, Republic of China (Taiwan); Singapore, Singapore) was carried out in order to clarify infection rates with HPV. Samples were examined in one laboratory of the Department of Pathology, the University of Tokyo, Japan in order to avoid inter-laboratory variation using a combination of polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization (ISH). HPV was found in 6.3%, 7%, and 9.4% of patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and esophageal cancer, respectively. Among the geographic areas surveyed, Kagoshima exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of HPV infection in cases of esophageal carcinoma (24.1%). There was no geographical difference in the infection rates of HPV in lung carcinomas. Subtype-specific ISH was also performed, which identified the high-risk HPV types 16/18 in the majority (75.7%) of the patients with lung and esophageal cancer positive for HPV.

Role of Human papilloma virus Infection and Altered Methylation of Specific Genes in Esophageal Cancer

“…Our report on HPV positivity in the esophageal tissue falls in the range of 0-67% as given by de Villiers et al (2004). Goto et al (2011) showed that 9.4% of esophageal cancers from China, Japan and Korea were HPV positive; while Kagoshima, a city from Japan, exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of HPV (24.1%) in esophageal carcinoma. A review from India reported that the highest HPV frequency in esophageal specimens was from Dibrugarh, Assam (44%) followed by Kashmir (33%); HPV was not detected in esophageal cancer patients from New Delhi (Shukla et al, 2009).…”

Why are East Asians more susceptible to several infection-associated cancers (carcinomas of the nasopharynx, stomach, liver, adenocarcinoma of the lung, nasal NK/T-cell lymphomas)?

“…There are now several papers [56] reporting the presence of HPV in NSCLC, including one paper that suggested a high prevalence of HPV 16/18 in non-smoking Taiwanese female lung cancer patients [57], [the rate of HPV 16/18 infection in adenocarcinoma (43-49%) was higher than that in squamous cell carcinoma (24-29%)]. (This paper was published before the association of the sensitivities of Asian female non-smoking adenocarcinomas with TKIs was made) and another [58] suggesting strong relation of HPV with gefitinib-responsive adenocarcinomas of the lung.…”

Human Papillomavirus Type 16/18 Oncoproteins: Potential Therapeutic Targets in Non-smoking Associated Lung Cancer

“…Recently, Goto et. al (Goto et al, 2011) detected HPV infection in 176 lung squamous cell carcinoma and 128 lung adenocarcinoma from 8 areas in Asia using the same detection method and in the same library. But no significant difference of histological types was found (squamous cell carcinoma vs adenocarcinoma, 6.3% vs 7%) in the prevalence rate of HPV.…”