Prevalence of mucosotropic human papillomaviruses in squamous-cell carcinomas of the head and neck

Abstract

Squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is the 6th most common cancer in developed countries (Parkin et al., 1988). Cigarette smoking and alcohol are major risk factors for the development of SCCHN (Elwood et al., 1984; Vokes et aZ., 1993), though other predisposing factors must also be involved since a small proportion of SCCHN patients do not have a history of tobacco or alcohol use (Wey et al., 1987).Carcinogenesis is a multi-step process which may involve interactions between oncogenes, tumour-suppressor genes (TSG) and viruses, including some specific human papillomaviruses (HPV) (Bishop, 1991;zur Hausen, 1991). There is particularly strong support for a role for specific HPV types in the pathogenesis of squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anogenital tract (Howley, 1991;zur Hausen, 1994). Other evidence also suggests a role for HPV in the development of some SCCHN, though reported HPV prevalence rates vary greatly between studies, ranging from 0-100% (Snijders et al., 1994). Part of this variability is probably due to differences in the sensitivities of the viral detection systems used, e.g., between Southern blots, dot blots and in situ hybridisation, though significant variability still exists between studies using PCR.The HPV status of cervical carcinomas appears to have prognostic significance; HPV-negative tumours follow a more aggressive course than those which are HPV-positive (Riou et aZ., 1990; Higgins et al., 1991; Crook et al., 1992). No correlation between tumour stage or histological grade has been found in oral carcinomas (Holladay and Gerald, 1993;Woods et al., 1993), but an increased prevalence of HPV has been reported in poorly differentiated laryngeal carcinomas (PCrezAyala et al., 1990). The association between HPV status of SCCHN and tumour recurrence and survival is unclear; contradictory evidence regarding risk of tumour recurrence has been reported, though the number of HPV-positive samples studied was small (Brachman et ul., 1992;Shindoh et al., 1992).The aims of this study were 2-fold: firstly, to determine and compare the prevalence of HPV in SCC arising from different anatomic sites in the head and neck; secondly, to determinc whether the presence of HPV correlatcd with specific clinicopathological parameters. HPV prevalence and type were determined in 63 SCCHN and in the adjacent normal epithelium from 30 of these tumours using PCR. HPV consensus primers, which detect a broad spectrum of mucosotropic HPV types (Snijders et aZ., 1990), and primers specific for HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33 were used, followed by Southern blot hybridisation with type-specific probes. MATERIAL AND METHODS Specimen collection and patient detailsHead and neck tumour specimens were obtained over an 8-year period from patients undergoing surgery at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital (Department of Otorhinolaryngology) and Maxillofacial Unit, Walton Hospital, Liverpool. Part of the resected tissue was snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen; the remainder was fixed in formalin for subs...

T cells specific for HPV16 E7 epitopes in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx

“…HPV16 E7 11-20 and HPV16 E7 86-93 specific T cells were expandable upon IVS with cognate peptide-pulsed DC and were reactive against peptide-pulsed targets or, in case of the E7 11-20 epitopespecific T cells, against HPV16 E7 expressing CaSki cell line. Thus, in patients with HPV16 1 SCCO, precursor T cells specific for E7 [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] epitope are present (1/3,947) in the circulation, are responsive to stimulation with the cognate viral peptide and recognize in vitro HPV16 E7 1 tumor cells. Further studies have to elucidate why those T cells are unable to eliminate the tumor in vivo and this might also allow for finding potential strategies that will increase the chances of developing a future HPV-based vaccine in patients with SCCO. '…”

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] HPV16 infections have been observed in approximately one half of squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx (SCCO). 7,[10][11][12] The HPV16 1 SCCO have a good prognosis and are not associated with conventional risk factors, suggesting they may represent a separate tumor entity. 3,7,10,11 The HPV-derived oncoproteins E6 and E7 are mainly responsible for both the onset and maintenance of malignant transformation through inactivation of the p53 and retinoblastoma (Rb) tumor suppressor genes, respectively.…”

Prevalência de achados sugestivos de papilomavírus humano (HPV) em biópsias de carcinoma espinocelular de cavidade oral e orofaringe: estudo preliminar

“…Some papers in the literature report that HPV frequency in oral carcinoma ranges from 0 to 100% 13,19 whereas other investigators report it ranges from 18 to 100% 12,14 . The mean frequency of 25% was estimated by Garlick 20 in his review about the topic.…”

“…HPV 16 is the most common type of virus associated with oral and cervical cancer 12,13 whereas types 6 and 11 are more commonly found in benign and pre-malignant lesions and rarely found in neoplastic head and neck lesions 14 .…”

Prevalência do papilomavírus humano (HPV) na cavidade oral e na orofaringe

“…According to many studies, the HPV prevalence rate in oral cancer varied from 0-100% 17,25,29,[51][52][53][54] . This broad variation in HPV detection rate is explained by the different detection methods used in the HPV investigation 25 .…”