Oral HPV Infection: Current Strategies for Prevention and Therapy

Abstract

Infection with High Risk (HR) Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) is the main aetiological agent of Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CSCC) and also associated in a subgroup of other neoplasms, including Oropharyngeal Squamous cell Carcinoma (OPSCC). HPV infection, in genital as in oral mucosa, can also be subclinical or associated with benign proliferative lesions (common warts, condylomas, papillomas) caused mostly by infection with Low Risk (LR)-HPVs. In the last decades, extensive research has resulted in growing knowledge on HPV biology and specifically viral life cycle, biochemical properties of viral proteins and their interaction with the host proteins leading to potential new targets of prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines and therapies for HPV infection. In addition, notable progresses have been made in the field of diagnostics to detect HPV DNA or RNA. The recent epidemiological data suggest the significant changes in HPV endemic, due to the changes in sexual habits especially among young generations (i.e. early sexual debuts, multiple sexual partners, oral and anal sex); this scenario has urged on the need of adequate campaigns of primary (sexual education, vaccination programs) and secondary prevention (diagnostics of HPV-related diseases). Due to the growing interest on HPV infection and HPV related cancers, the authors made a narrative review of the literature on oral HPV infection and oral-genital transmission. After this, in view of the controversies about the strategies of therapy and prevention of HPV infection, the present review focuses on the current state of art about the available tools for the therapeutic and, if any, preventive management of oral HPV infection.

The impact of environmental and behavioural cofactors on the development of cervical disorders in HR-HPV-infected women in Serbia

“…The study also showed that 80% of HPV-positive women harboured HR-HPV genotypes. The genotypes isolated most frequently throughout the world, both in patients with cervical carcinoma and in healthy controls, were 16, 18, 45, 31 and 58 [5], or according to other authors 16, 18, 52, 31 and 58 [24]. This research showed HPV 16, 45 and 31 as most frequent, while 18, 52 and 58 were present in lower frequencies.…”

“…Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases have taken an increased importance over the years and are now a major concern for public health. There is a strong evidence that HPV has causal role for the development of a subset of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the anogenital area (vulva, vagina, cervix, anus and penis) and in the head-neck area (pharynx, larynx and oral cavity) [5]. Persistent infection with one or more of approximately 20 highly oncogenic HPV or high-risk-HPV (HR-HPV) is necessary but not a sufficient aetiological agent for cervical neoplasia [6].…”

Low rate of oropharyngeal human papillomavirus infection of women with cervical lesions and their partners: new data from Brazilian population

“…It is also associated with a subgroup of other neoplasias, including oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. HPV infection of the genital mucosa as well as the oral mucosa can be subclinical or associated with benign lesions (26). Furthermore, Lee et al (27) found that low-risk HPV infection was an important prognostic factor for the 2-year survival rates in specific subgroups of patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma with certain risk factors such as poor differentiation, lymph node metastases, and extracapsular spread.…”

Eosinophilia is a favorable prognostic marker for oral cavity and lip squamous cell carcinoma

“…This may be because of differences in methods of counting TATE as well as heterogeneity of material. Today, it is well recognized that head and neck area does not represent one area with similar etiology and behavior of cancers, which most clearly has been shown with human papillomavirus infection and its tendency to cause carcinoma most specifically in the oropharynx . Here, we have focused only on the OSCCs of the oral cavity and the lip to less confounding factors.…”