Prognostic value of human papillomavirus detection and the eighth edition of the TNM classification staging system in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A single-center Polish study

Abstract

This study aimed to determine human papillomavirus (HPV) status and genotypes, the HPV status-dependent survival, and the applicability of the eighth TNM classification in Polish patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). All patients with primary OPSCC, diagnosed and treated from 2007 to 2017 at the National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland, who underwent radical radiotherapy were included. The Kaplan-Meier method was deployed to produce 3- and 5-year observed survival (OS) estimates. A total of 110 OPSCC cases were identified. Double positivity for HPV (IHC p16INK4a and HPV-DNA) was recorded in 70.9% of cases, with HPV16 being the most prevalent genotype (96.2%). The disease stage was significantly less advanced in the HPV-related group than in the HPV-negative group (P < .001). Three- and 5-year OS in HPV-related carcinoma was 80.7% and 74.0%, respectively; in the HPV-negative group, OS was 52.9% and 48.5%. OS rates were associated with HPV status, tumor stage, and disease stage according to the eighth edition TNM classification. The majority of Polish patients with OPSCC are HPV16-positive. In HPV-related OPSCC, survival rates are significantly higher than in HPV-negative OPSCC. The findings support the requirement of HPV testing in Polish patients with OPSCC because HPV-positive status influences tumor prognosis.