title: The role of human papilloma virus and p16 in occult primary of the head and neck: a comprehensive review of the literature.
abstract: Cancer of unknown primary of the head and neck is a challenging entity for the oncologist. The role of human papilloma virus/p16 in carcinogenesis and in prognosis is well established in certain HNSCC especially in that of the oropharynx. In the case of occult primary of the head and neck the role of HPV/p16 positivity is not well defined regarding prognosis and localization of the primary. An independent review of PubMed and ScienceDirect database was performed up to May 2014 using combinations of terms such as "occult primary of the head and neck", "CUP of the head and neck" "metastatic cervical squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary", "HPV" and "HPV and head and neck cancer". Literature review shows a strong association between HPV/p16 positivity and primary location in the oropharynx in patients with CUP of the head and neck as well as a better clinical outcome. HPV positivity and p16 overexpression could be used as surrogate markers in the search of the primary site of patients with CUP of the head and neck therefore maybe guiding treatment decisions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Ioannina University Hospital, Ioannina 45500, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fotopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Ioannina University Hospital, Ioannina 45500, Greece. Electronic address: npavlid@uoi.gr.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pavlidis
mesh_terms: D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000821:virology*; D011379:Prognosis; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins
keywords: Cancer of unknown primary (CUP); Head and neck cancer; Human papilloma virus; Metastatic cervical carcinoma of unknown primary; Occult primary of the head and neck; Oropharyngeal cancer