Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a UK Population: Is there an Association?

Abstract

Objective: Head and neck cancer (HNC) is one of the foremost causes of death throughout the world. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an evolving important risk factor for HNC, especially for individuals that do not smoke and do not drink alcohol. However, studies from Europe have reported ambiguous prevalence of HPV in HNC, particularly in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of HPV infection and elucidate its association with OSCC patients in a UK population. Materials and Methods: The presence and association of HPV was investigated in a total of (n=124) HNC patients. Samples were obtained from archived biopsies taken between 1990 and 2003. HPV screening was performed by the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the GP5+/GP6+ and the SPF1/2 consensus as primers and by in situ hybridization (ISH). Samples of viral warts that were immunohistochemically positive for HPV and fibroepethelial polyps (FEP) were used, as positive and negative controls, respectively. Results: Of the 124 patients with HNC, 2.4% (3/124) demonstrated the presence of HPV, 1.8% (2/113) were OSCC. Two samples were from the tongue and one from oropharyngeal (tonsils). HPV16 was the associated virus type in all positive samples. However, no significant association was observed between HPV positivity and other clinico-pathological variables including age and sex of the patients, stage, and malignancy differentiation. Conclusion: This report is among the few to investigate the prevalence and association of HPV with HNC in a UK population. The results revealed that HPV infection is low in OSCC in this UK population during this time period. This may suggest that HPV infection may have less important role in OSCC carcinogenesis compared to other risk factors. This information can help improve targeted therapy when treating cases of OSCC in the UK.