Unravelling the biology of human papillomavirus (HPV) related tumours to enhance their radiosensitivity

Prognostic factors (including HPV status) for irradiation of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN)

“…Treatment options for locally advanced SCCHN have improved during recent decades, in particular with the introduction of high-precision radiotherapy techniques, new systemic agents, and less invasive surgical approaches [4,6,8,11,13,21,24,27,29]. However, the most appropriate treatment regimen is still controversial.…”

Intra-tumor injection of lentiviral-vector delivered shRNA targeting human papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncogenes reduces tumor growth in a xenograft cervical cancer model in mice

“…It has been demonstrated that E6 and E7 are related to resistance to radiotherapy and inhibition of these two genes can increase treatment efficacy [45] .The most common chemotherapeutic agent for cervical cancer is cisplatin which has been used since 1985 [46] . It has been combined with other chemotherapeutic agents recently including paclitaxel, vinorelbine, gemcitabine and topotecan.…”

“…E6 and E7 have been shown to increase resistance to radiotherapy [45] . Targeted therapy against cervical cancer such as anti-EGFR, anti-angiogenesis and mTOR inhibition has been proposed and shRNA inhibition of E6 and E7 could be combined with these targeted therapies to increase efficacy.…”

Impact of human papillomavirus on outcome in patients with oropharyngeal cancer treated with primary surgery

“…These tumor characteristics together with the younger age and better performance status of the patients make them good candidates for surgical resection. However, higher intrinsic radiosensitivity and immune‐mediated treatment responses have been proposed as 2 possible mechanisms for better treatment outcomes after primary RT/CRT . These mechanisms are also hypothesized to be the cause for better survival in patients with HPV‐associated oropharyngeal SCC treated by surgery and adjuvant RT .…”

“…However, higher intrinsic radiosensitivity and immune-mediated treatment responses have been proposed as 2 possible mechanisms for better treatment outcomes after primary RT/CRT. [14][15][16] These mechanisms are also hypothesized to be the cause for better survival in patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal SCC treated by surgery and adjuvant RT. [17][18][19][20][21] The impact of HPV-positivity on survival in patients treated with surgery alone is unknown.…”