title: The changing face of head and neck cancer in the 21st century: the impact of HPV on the epidemiology and pathology of oral cancer.
abstract: The longstanding notion that head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a uniform disease process is changing. Divergence in epidemiologic trends among HNSCCs arising in different anatomic subsites has introduced a view that HNSCC is a heterogeneous group. Analysis of molecular genetic changes discloses not just individual tumor differences, but also consistent large-scale differences that permit the recognition of important tumor subtypes. One recently recognized subtype is the human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma. HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer now dominates the head and neck oncology landscape, and its escalating incidence is impacting on diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic practices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, The Weinberg Bldg, Room 2242, 401 N, Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA. wwestra@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Westra
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D015994:Incidence; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral