Prospective Analysis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen-1 and -2 for Diagnosing Sinonasal Inverted Papilloma.

Background: The goal of this research was to confirm whether preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA)-1 and -2 levels are useful diagnostic markers for sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) in a prospective study. Methods: Participants were 102 patients who underwent consecutive endoscopic sinus surgery: 18 with IP, two with other types of papilloma, 77 with chronic rhinosinusitis, four with sinonasal cancer, and one with hemangioma. SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 were measured preoperatively by an automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Results: SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 values were significantly correlated (r = 0.603, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis for differentiating papilloma (IP and other types of papilloma) from other diseases yielded an area under the curve of 0.860, with a Youden index of 1.75. Combined with SCCA-2 analysis, the detection system had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.65 and 0.98, respectively. While our study did not find a strong link between SCCA levels and skin or lung diseases, smoking status may influence SCCA levels in IP patients (p = 0.035). We recommend a cutoff value of 1.8 ng/mL for SCCA-1 in IP diagnosis. Conclusions: SCCA-1 and SCCA-2 when combined with imaging and pathology hold promise for enhancing the preoperative detection of IP, which would be a valuable contribution to clinical practice.

Patterns of recurrence after low-dose postoperative radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative chemoradiotherapy is recommended for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with positive margins or extracapsular extension at high risk of recurrence. However, high-dose radiotherapy in the head and neck region often causes severe acute and late radiation-related adversities. In our institution, the radiation dose has been relatively lower than that used in Western countries to reduce radiation-related toxicities. Therefore, in this study, we examined the treatment outcomes of low-dose postoperative chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: The outcomes of 90 consecutive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients who received postoperative radiotherapy between June 2009 and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received postoperative three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy with or without concurrent systemic chemotherapy. The median patient age was 65 years. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy was administered at a total dose of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions (daily fraction, 1.8 Gy). High-risk patients received 10.8 Gy of boost irradiation in six fractions. For radiotherapy alone, the irradiation dose was up to 54 Gy in 30 fractions and 64.8 Gy in 36 fractions for high-risk patients to increase the treatment intensity. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 40.5 months. The 3-year locoregional control and overall survival rates were 67.5% and 82.7%, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of patients with oral cavity carcinoma experienced locoregional failure (p = 0.004). The acute adverse events were mild, and the only late adverse event was grade 3 dysphagia (n = 3). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that de-escalation of the postoperative radiation dose can potentially reduce the severe adverse events of irradiation in patients while ensuring its effectiveness. In patients with oral cavity carcinoma, it might be necessary to increase the radiation dose.

Raptor and rictor expression in patients with human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Despite reports of a link between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling activation, the role of the mTOR pathway, especially raptor and rictor, in HPV-related head and neck cancer is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the role of the mTOR pathway in HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). METHODS: The present study involved two strategies. The first was to investigate the activity of mTOR and mTOR-related complexes in high-risk HPV-positive (UM-SCC47 and CaSki) and HPV-negative (SCC-4 and SAS) cancer cell lines. The second was to elucidate mTOR complex expression in 80 oropharyngeal cancer tissues and to examine the relationship between mTOR complex expression and survival in patients with OPSCC. RESULTS: The UM-SCC47 and CaSki cell lines showed high gene and protein expression of raptor. They also exhibited G1/S and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest following 24 h incubation with 6 µM temsirolimus, a rapamycin analog, and temsirolimus administration inhibited their growth. HPV-related OPSCC samples showed high gene and protein expression of raptor and rictor compared with HPV-unrelated OPSCC. In addition, HPV-related OPSCC patients with high raptor and rictor expression tended to have a worse prognosis than those with low or medium expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that raptor and rictor have important roles in HPV-related OPSCC and that temsirolimus is a potential therapeutic agent for patients with HPV-related OPSCC. This is the first report to reveal the overexpression of raptor and rictor in HPV-related OPSCC.

A rare case of cerebral hemorrhage associated with intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for advanced sphenoid sinus cancer.

Central nervous damage related to intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy (IAC) for head and neck cancer reported to date are cerebral infarction, transient ischemic attack, and neuropathy. There have been no reports of cerebral hemorrhage as an IAC-related complication for head and neck cancer. Authors report a case that underwent intra-arterial infusion chemoradiotherapy for advanced sphenoid sinus cancer which extended to the left cavernous sinus and cranium, subsequently suffered cerebral hemorrhage thought to have been caused by IAC. Treatment should be performed with greater caution when the head and neck cancer involves the cavernous sinus or cranium, as in the present case.

Induction Chemotherapy in Hypopharyngeal Cancer: Influence of DNA Repair Gene Polymorphisms.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim was to clarify whether DNA repair gene polymorphisms can be used to predict response to cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and docetaxel (TPF) as induction chemotherapy (ICT) in Japanese patients with hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA repair gene polymorphisms (rs3212986, rs1799793, rs13181, and rs25487) were analyzed in 117 HPC patients and 125 control subjects by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Forty-one HPC patients who received TPF-based ICT, followed by surgery or chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy were analyzed for ICT response, laryngeal preservation, and survival outcome. RESULTS: ICT responders (29 cases) had significantly better overall survival than ICT non-responders (12 cases; 86.0% vs. 37.0%, respectively, p<0.01 by log-rank test) and better laryngeal preservation rates. The DNA repair gene polymorphisms were not related to ICT response. CONCLUSION: ICT is beneficial for chemoselection of HPC patients, but a role for DNA repair gene polymorphisms in ICT response was not confirmed.

ERCC1 C8092A polymorphism predicts fair survival outcome in Japanese patients with pharyngo-laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic significance of DNA excision repair gene polymorphisms, excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and X-ray repair complementing defective repair in Chinese hamster cells 1 (XRCC1) polymorphisms were investigated in Japanese patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: A total of 225 consecutive patients with HNSCC who underwent surgery or chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy (CRT/RT) with curative intent as primary treatment from 2006 to 2017 were recruited. ERCC1 C8092A and XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphisms in DNA extracted from individual blood samples were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Cumulative survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis with a log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model stratified by treatment arm, adjusting for clinical prognostic factors. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that carriers with the ERCC1 8092 (C/A+A/A) genotype (hazard ratio, 3.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-7.39; p = 0.02) had significantly worse survival than those with ERCC1 8092 C/C who received CRT/RT. Conversely, the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism did not influence survival in patients who received CRT/RT as well as surgery. CONCLUSION: The ERCC1 C8092A polymorphism might be an independent predictor of response to CRT and survival outcome in patients with HNSCC. This is the first report to investigate the role of DNA excision repair gene polymorphisms in patients with head and neck cancer in a Japanese population.

Hypopharyngeal cancer risk in Japanese: Genetic polymorphisms related to the metabolism of alcohol- and tobacco-associated carcinogens.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated hypopharyngeal cancer (HC) risk in combination with xenobiotic metabolism-related genetic polymorphisms and the burden of alcohol consumption and smoking in European countries but not in East Asian countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This hospital-based case-control study involved 61 male patients with HC and 71 male cancer-free controls. Information on age, body mass index, and alcohol and cigarette consumption was obtained from medical records, a self-completion questionnaire, and a thorough interview by an otolaryngologist. Alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B), aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), cytochrome P450 A1 (CYP1A1) MspI, CYP1A1 Ile462Val, glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 gene polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction-based methods. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by adjustment for age by the Mantel-Haenszel method. RESULTS: The burden of alcohol and cigarette consumption significantly increased the risk of HC and showed a synergistic effect. ADH1B*1/*1 (odds ratio [OR] 7.34) and ALDH2 *1/*2 (OR 13.22) were significant risk factors for HC. Individuals with ADH1B*1/*1 or ALDH2 *1/*2 who consumed alcohol were more susceptible to HC. However, polymorphisms of CYP1A1 gene and GSTs were not significant cancer risk factors in patients with HC. CONCLUSIONS: ADH1B*1/*1 and ALDH2 *1/*2 were significant risk factors for HC, while polymorphism of CYP1A1 gene and GSTs was not a significant risk factor for HC. These polymorphisms determined the effects of alcohol and cigarette smoke in addition to burden of alcohol and cigarettes intake on the risk of HC.

High-risk type human papillomavirus infection and p16 expression in laryngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Oropharyngeal cancers associated with high-risk type human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection have better prognosis than virus negative cancers. Similarly, the HPV status in laryngeal cancer (LC) may be associated with better outcome. METHODS: Samples from 88 patients with LC were investigated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and p16 immunohistochemistry for HR-HPV analysis. The cut-off point for p16 overexpression was diffuse (≥75%) tumor expression with at least moderate (+ 2/3) staining intensity. RESULTS: The 5-year cumulative survival (CS) rate was 80.7% in all patients with LC. According to a combination of HR-HPV DNA status and p16 overexpression, subjects with LC were divided into four groups: HR-HPV DNA-positive/p16 overexpression-positive (n = 5, 5.7%; CS = 100%), HR-HPV DNA-positive/p16 overexpression-negative (n = 11, 12.5%; CS =81.8%), HR-HPV DNA-negative/p16 overexpression-positive (n = 0), and HR-HPV DNA-negative/p16 overexpression-negative (n = 72, 81.8%; CS = 79.5%). HR-HPV DNA-positive/p16-positive cases tended to have integrated HPV infection and high viral load, compared with HR-HPV DNA-positive/p16 overexpression-negative cases. CONCLUSIONS: LC patients with HPV infection and high levels of p16 expression might have an improved survival outcome; however, it is necessary to recruit additional LC cases with HPV infection to determine the definitive characteristics of HPV-mediated LC and estimate survival outcome. These results may contribute to the development of a useful method for selecting patients with a potentially fair response to treatment and ensure laryngeal preservation.

Staging and prognosis of oropharyngeal carcinoma according to the 8th Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual in human papillomavirus infection.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual: Head and Neck Section on oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) and to clarify the relationship between p16 overexpression and the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA using fresh frozen samples. METHODS: Samples from 100 OPSCC patients were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and p16 immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Five-year overall survival (OS) was 73.0%, 93.9%, and 62.2% in all, p16-positive (n = 34), and p16-negative (n = 66) cases, respectively. OS tended to be better aligned with stage in the 8th edition than in the 7th edition. The 5-year OS was 96.0% in never or light smokers (< 40 pack-years), and 87.5% in heavy smokers (≥ 40 pack-years) in the p16-positive group, respectively (p = 0.027). HPV infection was found in 100% of p16-positive and 21.2% of p16-negative cases. The p16-positive cases had higher viral load and integrated physical status than the p16-negative cases. Although 1 case with p16 overexpression showed no PCR amplification using consensus primers, PCR amplification was detected using HPV 16 E6-specific primers. CONCLUSIONS: The 8th edition predicts OPSCC prognosis more accurately than the 7th edition and p16-overexpression is an excellent surrogate marker for detecting HPV infection. Although high-risk-type HPV infection was observed in p16-negative cases, it showed no significant effect in survival outcome.

Detection of human papillomavirus in branchial cleft cysts.

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA has been reported to be present in branchial cleft cysts, but further information is required to clarify the role of HPV infection in branchial cleft cysts. The presence of HPV, the viral load and the physical statuses in samples from six patients with branchial cleft cysts were investigated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative PCR, in situ hybridization (ISH) using HPV DNA probes and p16INK4a immunohistochemical analysis. High-risk type HPV-16 DNA was identified in four of the six branchial cleft cysts analyzed. Of the HPV-positive branchial cleft cysts, three exhibited mixed-type integration of HPV. HPV DNA was distributed among the basal-to-granular layers of the cystic wall in ISH analysis, and p16INK4a was weakly expressed in the nuclei and cytoplasm of the same layers in patients with integration. ISH revealed that one patient with episomal-type infection exhibited HPV DNA in the cyst wall and did not express p16INK4a. Two patients without evidence of HPV infection exhibited weak p16INK4a expression in the superficial cyst-lining cells of branchial cleft cysts. These results indicate that infection with high-risk HPV types may be common in branchial cleft cysts. In addition, p16INK4a is not a reliable surrogate marker for HPV infection in branchial cleft cysts.

Lymphoepithelial carcinoma in parotid gland related to EBV infection: A case report.

Lymphoepithelial carcinoma commonly occurs at the nasopharynx and rarely occurs at other sites in the head and neck region. It is well known to occur at limited patients of local area as Asia or Arctic Circle. Related to this point, it is pointed out that this tumor has strong relation with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection. In this time, we experienced to treat lymphoepithelial carcinoma with metastatic cervical lymph nodes occurring at parotid gland. The morbidity ratio of this tumor is less than one percent of all parotid gland tumors. Moreover, we proved the infection of EBV to tumor cell by in situ hybridization (ISH). Incidentally, because it is considered that this tumor has well sensitivity against irradiation or anti-tumor drugs, prognosis of this tumor is better than that of other head and neck tumors with different pathological type. Actually, we tried to perform chemotherapy twice in (Nedaplatin (CDGP) 60mg/m2×day 2 and 5-FU 600mg/m2×day 5) and to irradiate about 70Gy dose against parotid gland and cervical lymph nodes. It could not find local recurrence or metastasis as of now after five years from treatment.

Branchiogenic carcinoma with high-risk-type human papillomavirus infection: A case report.

Branchiogenic carcinoma (BC) usually appears as a mass lesion with a predominant cystic component. Since lymph node metastasis from oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) has a cystic appearance, it is occasionally difficult to distinguish between BC and nodal metastases from clinically silent OPC. Factors associated with the malignant transformation process in BC remain obscure. The present study reports the case of a 56-year-old man with a right cystic cervical mass that was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma based on examination by fine-needle aspiration biopsy. The primary tumor could not be detected despite several imaging examinations, a pan-endoscopy of the head and neck, esophagus and stomach, biopsies of the head and neck regions, and bilateral tonsillectomies. The pathological findings of the surgical specimens from a radical neck dissection were consistent with the histological characteristics of BC, with evidence of transition from dysplasia through intraepithelial carcinoma to invasive carcinoma. Normal squamous epithelium and dysplastic and cancerous portions in the BC showed strong p16INK4a immunoreactivity. The expression of p16INK4a was also observed in all 9 nodal metastases in the neck dissection specimens. The cystic formation observed in the BC was not observed in the nodal metastases. As the presence of human papillomavirus-16 in the tumor was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, quantitative polymerase chain reaction was employed for the measurement of human papillomavirus-16 viral load and integration. The results showed that the viral load of human papillomavirus-16 was 3.01×107/50 ng genomic DNA, and the E2/E6 ratio was 0.13, so the integration state was judged to be the mixed type. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of BC associated with high-risk-type human papillomavirus infection. The study indicates that a human papillomavirus-positive neck mass may not necessarily be OPC, but that it could be BC with a poor prognosis. This report lends support to the existence of BC and proposes that the etiology is human papillomavirus infection.

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen as a diagnostic marker of nasal inverted papilloma.

BACKGROUND: Serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) levels are elevated in sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP). However, the relationship between tumor volume and SCCA level, and the influence of skin or pulmonary diseases in which the SCCA level is high, have not been established. OBJECTIVE: To clarify whether the level of serum SCCA can be used as a diagnostic marker of IP. METHODS: Serum SCCA level was measured in 30 patients with IP (IP group) and 57 with inflammatory disease (inflammatory group). RESULTS: Overall, 83.3% in the IP group showed elevated serum SCCA levels regardless of whether they were new patients or patients with recurrent IP, and SCCA levels rapidly decreased after surgery. Only 5.3% had elevated SCCA levels in the inflammatory group. Before surgery, the IP group had a median preoperative SCCA level of 2.4 ng/mL, whereas the median preoperative SCCA level was 0.9 ng/mL in the inflammatory group. Pre- and postoperative SCCA levels were significantly different in the IP group. With regard to the IP diagnosis in the IP and inflammatory groups based on the SCCA level (≤1.5 ng/mL), sensitivity and specificity were 83.3% and 94.7%, respectively. There was no significant correlation between SCCA elevation and respiratory function, and skin disease in the two groups, except for smoking in the IP group. Preoperative SCCA levels were significantly higher in smokers than in never-smokers in the IP group. Tumor volume was significantly correlated with SCCA level in IP. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that tumor volume was a predictor of preoperative SCCA elevation (p = 0.036; 95% confidence interval, 1.027-2.176). CONCLUSION: Serum SCCA level is a reliable diagnostic marker to distinguish new and recurrent IP from inflammatory disease. Because smokers tended to have higher SCCA levels in IP, a different cutoff level might be needed. Although respiratory dysfunction and skin disease were not related to SCCA level, they should be taken into consideration when evaluating SCCA level.

Human papillomavirus infection and immunohistochemical expression of cell cycle proteins pRb, p53, and p16(INK4a) in sinonasal diseases.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to clarify the possible role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the malignant transformation of sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP). METHODS: Subjects comprised 32 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), 17 with IP, 5 with IP and squamous cell carcinoma (IP + SCC), and 16 with primary sinonasal SCC. HPV presence, viral loads, and physical status were investigated using polymerase chain reaction. Retinoblastoma (pRb), p53, and p16(INK4a) gene products were investigated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: HPV DNA was detected in 6.3 % of cases with CRS, 29.4 % with IP, 40 % with IP + SCC, and 25 % with SCC. IP cases had significantly higher HPV presence than CRS cases (p = 0.04). High-risk HPV-16 was the most frequently encountered subtype (10/13, 76.9 %). HPV-16 viral loads varied from 2.5 to 7953 E6 copies/50 ng genomic DNA. Patients in the SCC and IP + SCC groups had significantly higher viral loads than those in the IP and CRS groups (p < 0.01). All SCC and IP + SCC patients with HPV-16 demonstrated mixed-type integration, whereas 4 of 5 HPV-16 patients in the IP and CRS groups showed episomal type infection (p = 0.04). Positivity to pRb was found in 78.1 % of CRS, 35.3 % of IP, and 68.8 % of SCC cases. The presence of HPV DNA negatively correlated with pRb expression in SCC (p = 0.029) and IP (P = 0.049) groups. Although 62.5 % of SCC cases exhibited p53 positivity, only 5.9 % of IP, and no CRS cases were positive. Regardless of HPV status, p16(INK4a) positivity was frequently detected in IP cases (82.4 %), less in SCC (12.5 %) cases, and was not detected in the CRS group. Neither the IP nor SCC cohorts showed any correlation between HPV presence and the expression of either p53 or p16(INK4a). CONCLUSIONS: HPV infection was more frequent in the IP, IP + SCC, and SCC groups than the CRS group. Higher viral loads and integration observed in the IP + SCC and SCC groups, and an inverse correlation between HPV presence and positive pRb indicated that persistent infection and integration play a part in tumorigenesis and malignant transformation in certain IP cases. However, p16(INK4a) is not a reliable surrogate marker for HPV infection in IP.

Epstein-Barr virus and human papillomavirus infections and genotype distribution in head and neck cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence, genotypes, and prognostic values of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in Japanese patients with different types of head and neck cancer (HNC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: HPV and EBV DNA, EBV genotypes and LMP-1 variants, and HPV mRNA expression were detected by PCR from fresh-frozen HNC samples. HPV genotypes were determined by direct sequencing, and EBV encoded RNA (EBER) was examined by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Of the 209 HNC patients, 63 (30.1%) had HPV infection, and HPV-16 was the most common subtype (86.9%). HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression was found in 23 of 60 (38.3%) HPV DNA-positive cases detected. The site of highest prevalence of HPV was the oropharynx (45.9%). Among 146 (69.9%) HNCs in which EBV DNA was identified, 107 (73.3%) and 27 (18.5%) contained types A and B, respectively, and 124 (84.9%) showed the existence of del-LMP-1. However, only 13 (6.2%) HNCs were positive for EBER, 12 (92.3%) of which derived from the nasopharynx. Co-infection of HPV and EBER was found in only 1.0% of HNCs and 10.0% of NPCs. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed significantly better disease-specific and overall survival in the HPV DNA+/mRNA+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPC) patients than in the other OPC patients (P = 0.027 and 0.017, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that stage T1-3 (P = 0.002) and HPV mRNA-positive status (P = 0.061) independently predicted better disease-specific survival. No significant difference in disease-specific survival was found between the EBER-positive and -negative NPC patients (P = 0.155). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that co-infection with HPV and EBV is rare in HNC. Oropharyngeal SCC with active HPV infection was related to a highly favorable outcome, while EBV status was not prognostic in the NPC cohort.

Prediction of concurrent chemoradiotherapy outcome in advanced oropharyngeal cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as a predictor of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) response and indicator of planned neck dissection (PND) for patients with advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC; stage III/IV). Overall, 39 OPSCC patients (32 men, 7 women; median age 61 years, range 39-79 years) were enrolled. The primary lesion and whole neck were irradiated up to 50.4 Gy, and subsequently the primary site and metastatic lymph nodes were boosted with a further 16.2 Gy. Although several chemotherapy regimens were employed, 82.1% of OPSCC patients received the combination of nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil. HPV-related OPSCC (16 cases) was defined as both HPV DNA-positive status by polymerase chain reaction and p16INK4a overexpression by immunohistochemistry. Patients with N2 and N3 disease received PND 2-3 months after CCRT completion. Compared to non-responders, CCRT responders showed significantly lower nodal stage (N0 to N2b) and HPV-positive status in univariate analysis. Patients with HPV-related OPSCC had longer time to treatment failure (TTF) than those with HPV-unrelated OPSCC (p=0.040). Three-year TTF was 81.3 and 47.8% in the HPV-related and HPV-unrelated groups, respectively. There were also significant differences in disease-free survival (DFS) between the two OPSCC patient groups (p=0.042). Three-year DFS was 93.8 and 66.7% in patients with HPV-related and HPV-unrelated OPSCC, respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis showed a lower risk of TTF event occurrence in HPV-related OPSCC (p=0.041) than in HPV-unrelated OPSCC. Thus, HPV testing in addition to nodal stage was useful for predicting CCRT response, especially in advanced OPSCC. Because patients who received PND showed moderate locoregional control, PND is an effective surgical procedure for controlling neck lesions in patients with advanced HPV-unrelated disease.

A comprehensive evaluation of human papillomavirus positive status and p16INK4a overexpression as a prognostic biomarker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have better prognosis than those without HPV infection. Although p16(INK4a) expression is used as a surrogate marker for HPV infection, there is controversy as to whether p16(INK4a) reliably indicates HPV infection. Here, to evaluate the accuracy of p16(INK4a) expression for determining HPV infection and the prognostic value of HPV infection and p16(INK4a) expression for HNSCC survival, especially oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) survival, 150 fresh-frozen HNSCC samples were analyzed for HPV DNA, E6/E7 mRNA and p16(INK4a) expression by polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. p16(INK4a) expression was scored from 0 to 4 according to the percentage of p16(INK4a)-positive cells, with overexpression defined as >40% positive cells. Of the 150 tumor samples tested, 10 tumors were nasopharyngeal, 53 oropharyngeal, 39 hypopharyngeal, 24 laryngeal and 24 were located in the oral cavity. HPV DNA was detected in 47 (31.3%) samples, but only 21 also exhibited HPV mRNA expression. Inter-rater agreement was low between p16(INK4a) expression and HPV DNA presence and between p16(INK4a) expression and HPV mRNA expression, but was good between the combination of HPV DNA status and p16(INK4a) overexpression and HPV mRNA expression. Three-year recurrence-free survival was significantly higher for OPSCC patients who were HPV DNA-positive than for OPSCC patients who were HPV DNA-negative (P=0.008) and for OPSCC patients overexpressing p16(INK4a) than for without overexpressing p16(INK4a) (P=0.034). Multivariate analysis revealed that T1-3 stage and the combination of HPV DNA positivity and p16(INK4a) overexpression predicted significantly better recurrence-free survival. This combination is a more accurate marker for active HPV infection in HNSCC than HPV DNA status or general p16(INK4a)-positive status alone and offers a useful and reliable method for detecting and determining the prognosis of HPV-related HNSCC.

Viral load, physical status, and E6/E7 mRNA expression of human papillomavirus in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine prospectively both human papillomavirus (HPV) load and physical status in different types of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS: HPV DNA, E6/E7 mRNA expression, viral load, and physical status of 184 patients with HNSCC were examined simultaneously by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. RESULTS: The HPV genome was detected in 54 HNSCC samples (29.3%), particularly in tonsillar carcinomas (69.6%). Compared with nonoropharyngeal HNSCC, oropharyngeal carcinoma harbored a relatively higher viral load, especially in tonsillar carcinoma. Although integrated or mixed status was observed in 75.6% of HPV-16-positive samples, E6/E7 mRNA transcripts were detected in only 27.5% of HPV DNA-positive cases. High HPV-16 load correlated significantly with E6/E7 mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: E6/E7 mRNA expression in patients with HNSCC with low viral load remains low even in cases of integration to the host genome. Tonsillar carcinomas were significantly associated with HPV among various types of HNSCC.

Prognostic value of human papillomavirus and squamous cell carcinoma antigen in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

To clarify the synergistic influence of human papillomavirus (HPV) status and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) mRNA expression on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) prognosis, HPV DNA presence and SCCA1 and SCCA2 mRNA expression were determined by PCR and quantitative real-time RT-PCR, respectively, in 121 patients with primary HNSCC who were receiving curative treatment. HPV DNA was detected in 28.1% (34/121) of HNSCC cases, and only high-risk types (HPV-16, HPV-33, HPV-35 and HPV-58) were observed. Positive HPV status showed a significantly better prognosis than negative HPV status (P = 0.022). An elevated SCCA2/SCCA1 mRNA ratio was an independent predictor of disease recurrence (P = 0.004). In addition, HPV-negative patients with a high SCCA2/SCCA1 ratio (>0.27) had a significantly lower recurrence-free survival rate than HPV-negative patients with a low SCCA2/SCCA1 ratio (P < 0.011). Our findings revealed that both HPV status and the SCCA2/SCCA1 mRNA ratio are independently associated with prognosis in HNSCC. Patients with both a HPV-negative status and a high SCCA2/SCCA1 ratio might need intensified treatment and rigorous follow up after treatment because of the high risk of recurrence.

Human papillomavirus load and physical status in sinonasal inverted papilloma and squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated prospectively the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in paranasal inverted papilloma (IP). METHODS: HPV presence and viral load and physical status of HPV-16 were examined by polymerase chain reaction-based methods using fresh frozen samples obtained from 13 patients with IP (IP group), 11 with squamous cell carcinoma in the maxillary sinus (SCC group) and 39 with chronic inflammatory lesions (inflammatory group). RESULTS: The presence of the HPV genome was detected in 46.1%, 27.3% and 7.6% of patients in the IP, SCC and inflammatory groups, respectively. The IP group showed significantly higher HPV-positive rates than the inflammatory group. All types of HPV detected were high-risk HPV, especially HPV-16. The relative HPV-16 copy numbers varied from 2.5 to 1524.1 per 50 ng genomic DNA. The viral load was higher in the IP and SCC groups than in the inflammatory group. In the IP group, no significant relationship was found between HPV-16 viral load and clinical characteristics, or between physical status and clinical characteristics. One patient with IP and concomitant squamous cell carcinoma, however, showed high viral load and integration. CONCLUSIONS: HPV infection is involved in the pathogenesis of IP, and high viral load and integration of HPV have an important role in malignant lesion in association with IP.