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Study Links Nasopharyngeal Cancer to HPV ANN ARBOR, Mich -- October 7, 2009 -- An increase in cases of a rare type of head and neck cancer appears to be linked to human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a study published online in the journal Head & Neck. “Though rare, this is the first report of nasopharyngeal cancer being caused by the HPV epidemic,” said study author Carol Bradford, MD, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We are in the middle of a tonsil cancer epidemic, seeing many patients with tonsil cancer linked to HPV. It turns out that HPV may also be a new cause of this rare form of cancer that occurs in this hidden location.” In the study, researchers looked at tissue samples taken before treatment for either nasopharyngeal cancer or tonsil cancer. Of the 89 patients in the study, 5 had nasopharyngeal cancer, and 4 of those were positive for HPV. At the same time, the four HPV-positive tumours were also all negative for Epstein-Barr virus, which has previously been one of the biggest infectious causes of nasopharyngeal cancer. “Since I began studying head and neck cancer, I have wondered what the cause of Epstein-Barr virus-negative nasopharyngeal tumours might be,” said study author Thomas Carey, PhD, Head and Neck Oncology Program, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This research suggests that there is a changing etiology for nasopharyngeal cancer in the North American population that may mirror the HPV-positive epidemic of tonsil cancer. Overall, about 60% of nasopharyngeal cancer patients are alive 5 years after treatment. In fact, death rates for this type of cancer have declined 4% per year. The researchers suspect 1 potential reason is that HPV-related tumours are more responsive to chemotherapy or radiation than tumours linked to the Epstein-Barr virus. Because nasopharyngeal cancer is so rare, the authors propose a multicentre trial to recruit more patients to verify the role of HPV in nasopharyngeal cancer. SOURCE: University of Michigan Health System E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version