Human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a new context for dysphagia rehabilitation

Abstract

‘Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)’ references a collection of malignant lesions located across several sites within the upper aerodigestive tract. Traditionally, the majority of HNSCCs arise within the oral cavity and larynx, resulting from the field cancerization effects of tobacco and alcohol exposure. However, over the last three decades, the incidence of cancers in the oropharynx has risen dramatically. Compelling evidence now links the epidemic of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. This virally mediated disease boasts unique epidemiologic, mechanistic, and clinic-demographic features, of which clinicians and clinician-scientists should be aware, particularly in light of the estimated increasing prevalence of this disease in the foreseeable future. While survival and oncologic outcomes associated with HPV-related OPSCC are very promising, what remains less clear is patient functioning following curative-intent therapeutic regimens designed relative to tobacco- and alcohol-related disease.