[Clinical features and expressions of p16, p53 protein of human papillomavirus-related tonsillar carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the clinical characteristics, prognosis and molecular biological changes of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC).


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of 61 TSCC cases treated from January 1999 to December 2012. Demographic data and clinical charts, including histologic grade of tumor, treatment and outcome of the patients, were reviewed.Human papillomavirus (HPV)-DNA were detected using SPF10-DNA enzyme immunoassay and LiPA genotyping method. Expressions of p16 and p53 proteins were examinated by immunohistochemistry. Survival rate was calculated with SPSS 19.0 software using the Kaplan-Meier method.


RESULTS
There were 55 males and 6 females, with a median age of 57 years. Of the 61 TSCC, 21 were with well differentiation, 19 with moderate differentiation and 21 with poor differentiation, including 7 patients at stage II, 10 at stage III and 44 at stage IV. HPV-positive rate of TSCC was 29.5% (18/61) and high-risk HPV-16 subtype accounted for 72.2% (13/18). The percentage of famel patients in HPV-positive TSCC was higher than HPV-negative TSCC (22.2% vs 4.7%).HPV-positive TSCC was more common in non-smoking patients (50.0% vs 79.1%, χ(2) = 5, 155, P = 0.023) and non-drinking patients (27.8% vs 51.2%, χ(2) = 4.346, P = 0.037). HPV-positive TSCC mostly presented with high expression of p16 protein (88.9% vs 16.3%, χ(2) = 28.481, P = 0.000), and low expression of p53 protein (72.7% vs 46.5%, χ(2) = 5.028, P = 0.025). The prognosis of patients with HPV-associated TSCC was significantly better than non-HPV-associated TSCC, and The 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates of patients with HPV-positive TSCC were higher than those of patients with HPV-negative TSCC (87.7% vs 49.5% and 78.9% vs 33.0%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
HPV-associated TSCC had unique clinicopathological and molecular biological features, showing better prognosis compared to HPV-negative TSCC.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
Yongxia
Y
Zhang
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China. Email: docbinzhang@hotmail.com.
Bin
B
Zhang
Huifang
H
Zhou
Wensheng
W
Liu
Wen
W
Chen
Zhengang
Z
Xu
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; D005260:Female; D019942:Genes, p16; D005838:Genotype; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012907:Smoking; D015996:Survival Rate; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*
D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53