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| |  High Incidence of HPV in Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Suggests Benefit From Routine Testing and Vaccination in Both Genders: Presented at IM By Crina Frincu-Mallos, PhD WASHINGTON, DC -- May 20, 2008 -- Human papillomavirus (HPV) has long been studied in relation to cervical cancer. However, HPV is present in other malignancies, such as 25% to 30% of all head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Since HPV was found to be a prognostic factor for HNSCC, regardless of gender, testing and vaccination of both genders should be considered, according to research reported here at the 2008 Internal Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting (IM). Forty-one patients were evaluated in this study, all having neck lymph nodes diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, according to surgical pathology records from January 1, 2000, to July 31, 2007. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from neck masses were examined using PCR sequencing with MY 09/11 and GP 5/6 primers sets, as well as staining for the p16INK biomarker, explained lead author Payal C. Desai, MD, Associate, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Desai and colleagues reported their findings here on May 15 in an oral presentation. Patient demographics were 34 men and 7 women, with a mean age of 56 +- 10 years of age. All patients in the study were smokers and 39 of the 41 patients were occasionally consuming alcohol. The investigators report that 12 out of 41 cancer patients were HPV-positive, an overall HPV incidence rate of 29% evaluated through PCR staining. "An additional 10% of samples were HPV-positive by p16 staining," said Dr. Desai. "To summarize, 11 samples were positive by both PCR and p16 staining, 1 was positive by PCR only, while 4 more samples were positive by p16 staining only," explained Dr. Desai. The most common HPV subtype encountered was HPV 16 (n = 10), the other 2 patients being infected with HPV 33 and HPV 45, respectively. The subtypes were determined by sequencing the positive PCR product. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that 9 of the p16 HPV-positive samples and 6 of the PCR HPV-positive samples demonstrated accentuation of the papillae. Currently, there is no routine testing in these tumor samples for HPV. Therefore, Dr. Desai and colleagues recommend HPV staining on all HNSCC, especially on those with accentuation of papillae. Remarkably, HPV infection did not occur with predilection in one gender, 2 of 7 women and 13 of 34 men in this cohort being HPV-positive, noted Dr. Desai. The high incidence of HPV in this at-risk population suggests that vaccination of both genders should be considered, concluded Dr. Desai and colleagues. [Presentation title: The Incidence of Human Papillomavirus in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas. Abstract PR#6]
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