Response to therapy and outcomes in oropharyngeal cancer are associated with biomarkers including human papillomavirus, epidermal growth factor receptor, gender, and smoking.
Induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiation for responders or immediate surgery for non-responders is an effective treatment strategy head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) of the larynx and oropharynx. Biomarkers that predict outcome would be valuable in selecting patients for therapy. In this study, the presence and titer of high risk human papilloma virus (HPV) and expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in pre-treatment biopsies, as well as smoking and gender were examined in oropharynx cancer patients enrolled in an organ sparing trial. HPV16 copy number was positively associated with response to therapy and with overall and disease specific survival, whereas EGFR expression, current or former smoking behavior, and female gender (in this cohort) were associated with poor response and poor survival in multivariate analysis. Smoking cessation and strategies to target EGFR may be useful adjuncts for therapy to improve outcome in the cases with the poorest biomarker profile.
Kumar
Bhavna
B
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Cordell
Kitrina G
KG
Lee
Julia S
JS
Prince
Mark E
ME
Tran
Huong H
HH
Wolf
Gregory T
GT
Urba
Susan G
SG
Worden
Francis P
FP
Chepeha
Douglas B
DB
Teknos
Theodoros N
TN
Eisbruch
Avraham
A
Tsien
Christina I
CI
Taylor
Jeremy M G
JM
D'Silva
Nisha J
NJ
Yang
Kun
K
Kurnit
David M
DM
Bradford
Carol R
CR
Carey
Thomas E
TE
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D066246:ErbB Receptors