Core classification of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas: correlations between morphology, DNA ploidy and HPV infection.
OBJECTIVE
The study intended to reveal whether HPV infection is reflected by nuclear morphology and DNA cytometry parameters in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).


METHODS
In total, 39 HNSCC were selected for reanalysis by histomorphology applying the core classification, DNA cytometry and HPV detection. For the core classification, HE sections were assessed by a score system to evaluate the nuclear size, the mitosis size, their variabilities and the presence of tripolar or tetrapolar mitoses. HPV was analyzed by consensus PCR followed by a hybridization method for virus typing. Static DNA cytometry was applied on single cell suspension focusing particularly on the parameters DNA modal value, DNA index peak, DNA index mean, 2c deviation index and 5c exceeding rate. Statistical analysis was done by T-test or Fisher's exact test.


RESULTS
The analysis revealed that HPV positive HNSCC had significantly smaller nuclei than HPV negative cases. Increasing values of the nuclear size and mitosis size were significantly associated with higher indices of the DNA cytometry analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
The study confirms that the core classification can provide information on the ploidy of HNSCC and that HPV positive tumors represent a distinct morphological and genetic carcinoma subtype.
Kotb
Waleed F M Amin
WF
Institute of Pathology, Charité Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
Blind
Christiane
C
Friedrich
Karl-Heinz
KH
Schewe
Christiane
C
Zhang
Zhi Gang
ZG
Zheng
Jian Ming
JM
Deutschman
Nicole
N
Pacyna-Gengelbach
Manuela
M
Dietel
Manfred
M
Petersen
Iver
I
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D008938:Mitosis; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D011003:Ploidies
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm