Human papillomavirus, smoking, and head and neck cancer

Abstract

Aims Smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) are both distinct risk factors for head and neck cancer but the nature of interaction between these two risk factors in development of head and neck cancer remains unclear The purpose of this review is to determine the potential effect of smoking in causation of HPV related head and neck carcinoma. Method A literature search was carried out using keywords human papillomavirus, head and neck cancer, smoking, tobacco, and cervical cancer. The English language articles, references and other relevant studies evaluating the association of smoking, HPV and risk of head and neck cancer were collected and analyzed. Conclusion Overall, our review points to smoking tobacco posing an additional risk for development of head and neck cancer in the presence of HPV infection. This is consistent with available laboratory data which show evidence of biological plausibility for interaction between smoking and progression of HPV infection to carcinogenesis. It is therefore important that cessation of smoking is promoted in smokers with HPV infection.

Detection of Human Papillomavirus in Normal Oral Cavity in a Group of Pakistani Subjects using Real-Time PCR

“…Some authors have observed no association, whereas other studies demonstrated an additive or synergistic association. According to a literature review, 3 categories of this association could be obtained (Sinha et al, 2012). The first ones included studies with evidence that HPV is associated with an increased risk of HNSCC in nonsmokers.…”

Oral acetylsalicylic acid and prevalence of actinic keratosis

“…52,53 There are some studies that relate skin cancer to tobacco smoking, especially SCC (RR=2.0). [54][55][56] In addition, there is a strong association between tobacco smoking and solitary keratoacanthoma (OR=9.1), which some authors consider as a well differentiated SCC form.…”

Biology of Human Papillomavirus Infections in Head and Neck Carcinogenesis

“…Seven years later, in 1983, we published the first evidence suggesting that a subgroup (some 20 %) of oral cancers is associated with HPV, based on detection of HPV structural proteins in these lesions using an antibody prepared against pooled HPV types [39]. We subsequently identified HPV types 11, 16 and 18 in these samples [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. This concept has now been well accepted, and a growing body of evidence is supporting that approximately 20 % of oral cancers and 60-80 % of oropharyngeal cancers are caused by HPV [41][42][43][44].…”

“…HPV-positive HNSCCs harbor the wild-type p53, while the classical smoking-and alcohol-induced cancers have mutated p53. However, it has been recently shown that also among HPV-positive HNSCCs, the worst outcome is related to smoking [42,47,48]. Thus, these carcinogens might potentiate the transformation effect of HPV.…”