Genotype Distribution and Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus in Head and Neck Cancer Samples from Istanbul, Turkey.

Muammer Osman Köksal,Seyhan Özakkoyunlu Hasçiçek,Baki Akgül,Alexander Quaas,Ibrahim Yağcı,Başak Keskin Yalçın,Kemal Değer,Bora Başaran,Ali Ağaçfidan,Sevgi Çiftçi,Fahriye Keskin

doi:10.3390/pathogens10121533

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated tumors account for a significant proportion of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) in developed countries. In recent years, there has been a rise of HPV infections associated with HNSCC, especially HPV16, which is the most commonly detected type in oral and oropharyngeal cancers. To investigate the frequency of HPV-driven HNSCC among patients living in Turkey, HPV DNA positivity and p16INK4A expression were assessed in primary tumor biopsies (n = 106). Eighteen out of one hundred and six (19%) HNSCC tumors showed p16INK4A overexpression, and 26/106 cases (24.5%) were positive for HPV DNA. Sixteen out of twenty-six samples were positive for both HPV DNA and p16INK4A staining. HPV16 could be isolated from 22/26 samples (84.6%) and was found to be the most frequently detected HPV type. This study represents the largest cohort of Turkish patients with HNSCC characterized according to HPV status and p16INK4A expression. Our data suggest that HPV16 infection, along with smoking, contribute to the development of HNSCC.

Highlights

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) are anatomically heterogeneous neoplasms originating from mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, and nasopharynx
Primary tumors were located in the oropharynx (n = 72) or the oral cavity (n = 34). p16INK4A expression was analyzed by performing immunohistochemical staining (IHC)
The highest human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence was found in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), especially in the palatine tonsils, and HPV DNA was observed in cancers of the oral cavity

Summary

Introduction

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) are anatomically heterogeneous neoplasms originating from mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, and nasopharynx. The number of cancer cases is higher in North America (60.4%) than in Europe. Cases of HPV-related OPSCC mainly induced by HPV16 are on the rise, predominantly among young people in North America and Northern Europe [8,9]. This cancer type is associated with HPV infection as well as sexual behavior (due to oral HPV transmission) [5,10,11]. Only a limited number of studies have been conducted in Turkey to address the association of HPV infections with HNSCC in Turkish patients [18,19,20,21,22,23,24]. The overall aims of this report were to determine the prevalence of HPV infections in HNSCC patients and to describe the HPV type distribution among HNSCC cases

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Conclusion