Positive Rate of Human Papillomavirus and Its Trend in Head and Neck Cancer in South Korea

Abstract

IntroductionThis study aimed to investigate the positive rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) and its trend in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in South Korea and to evaluate the clinical differences between HPV-positive and -negative tumors.MethodsWe studied 300 patients with HNSCC arising in the oropharynx (n = 77), oral cavity (n = 65), larynx (n = 106), hypopharynx (n = 40), and sinonasal cavity (n = 12), treated in a tertiary university hospital in South Korea from January 2008 to July 2020. HPV status was determined using p16 immunohistochemical staining of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues.ResultsOf the 300 patients with HNSCC, the positive rate of p16 was 30.3% (91/300). The p16 positive rate was 70.1, 13.9, 20.8, 15, and 0% in the oropharynx, oral cavity, larynx, hypopharynx, and sinonasal cavity, respectively. HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) patients were significantly younger than HPV-negative OPSCC patients. The positive rate of HPV in OPSCC has increased over time from 2008 to 2020, but has not changed significantly in the other primary sites. The disease-free survival curve of HPV-positive OPSCC was significantly better than that of HPV-negative tumors.ConclusionThe positive rate of HPV in Korean patients with OPSCC is significantly high (70.1%), similar to that in North America and Europe, and has increased abruptly in the past 12 years.

Lower Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Middle Eastern Population: Clinical Implications for Diagnosis and Prevention

“…According to this study, all hrHPV-positive SCC cases occurred in patients over the age of 50 years (range: 51-84 years). These data contrast with most reports of HPV-associated SCCs, which tend to occur in a younger age group who are sexually active males, consume little or no alcohol, and are nonsmokers [9,21].…”

The Prevalence of HPV in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 5007 patients with OCSCC from 24 different countries. Sixteen studies were from Asia [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], eight from Europe [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ], two from Africa [ 43 , 44 ], two from South America [ 35 , 45 ], two from North America [ 46 , 47 ], and one from Asian Pacific [ 48 ]. The study size ranged from 17 patients in a study from Uganda [ 44 ] to 940 patients in the Netherlands [ 41 ].…”

“…The female-to-male ratio varied from 1:1 in the Republic of Korea to 1:8 in Réunion Island among patients with OCSCC [ 23 , 48 ]. Three studies reported a significant association between patients with HPV+ OCSCCs and the male gender [ 37 , 41 , 49 ], whereas no association was reported in five studies [ 24 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 45 ].…”

“…Multiple different HPV detection methods were used in the included studies. Fifteen of the studies were based on double/triple positivity ( n = 3743) [ 21 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 42 , 46 , 47 , 50 ], eleven based on HPV DNA ( n = 1001) [ 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 30 , 33 , 36 , 38 , 43 , 45 , 49 ], two on HPV RNA ( n = 140) [ 19 , 35 ], and three on p16 IHC alone ( n = 123) [ 23 , 44 , 48 ], shown in Table 1 . The definition of p16 IHC positivity varied among the studies.…”

High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx: A Study From a Tertiary Care Center in North India

“…HPV 16/18 infection has been considered an important etiological factor in head and neck cancer [4,5]. However, unlike cervical carcinoma and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, the role of HPV 16/18 in the pathogenesis of laryngeal carcinoma has not been clearly defined [6,7]. The prevalence of HPV in laryngeal cancer shows wide variation within different zones of the same country [8,9].…”