title: Increase in the rate of HPV positive oropharyngeal cancers during 1996-2011 in a case study in Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary aim of this study is to assess whether or not there is an increase at rate of HPV positive oropharyngeal cancers during 1996-2011 in Turkey, for comparison with prior reports from Western countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 138 newly diagnosed patients with oropharyngeal cancer were identified, 39 of which had no primary tumor specimen available and 18 patients with invalid HPV status, therefore HPV status for remaining 81 patients was evaluated. The presence and type of HPV DNA were determined with formalin- fixed paraffin embedded specimens, using an HPV DNA-based multiplex PCR assay. Associations between HPV status and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated using a two-sample t-test for the continuous variables and the categorical variables were compared by chi-square test. Overall survival (OS) periods were calculated with Kaplan-Meier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of HPV-positive cancer has continued to increase during 2004-2011 as compared with 1996-2003. Notably, 33% (6/18) of the cases were HPV-positive in 1996-1999, 43% (9/21) in 2000-2003, 55% (11/20) in 2004-2007 and 70% (16/23) in 2008-2011. Thus, when we compared the results obtained during the 2004-2011with results of 1996-2003 period, we found that increase at HPV-positivity ratio was statistically significant (38% vs 64% p=0.012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that HPV positive oropharyngeal cancers are increasing in Turkish patients as in the Western world.
authors.affiliation: Akdeniz University, Medical Faculty, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Antalya, Turkey E-mail : deniztural@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tural
authors.forename: Olgun
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Elicin
authors.forename: Sebnem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Batur
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.forename: Buge
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oz
authors.forename: Suheyla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Serdengecti
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Uzel
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral