title: High prevalence of discordant human papillomavirus and p16 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas in an African American cohort.
abstract: Most studies on human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have been performed on white Americans. Our study examined the incidence of HPV in an African American oropharyngeal SCC cohort and its survival.
  
  
  
  African American patients with oropharyngeal SCC in a combined tumor registry were identified. HPV16 testing was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from DNA extracted from tumor blocks. The p16 staining was performed using standard immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  
  Forty-four patients were identified for analysis. Seventy-three percent of the tumors were HPV-positive. Only 39% of the patients who were HPV-positive were also p16-positive. Survival between all 3 tumor types, patients who tested HPV-positive/p16, HPV-positive/p16-positive, and HPV-negative/p16-negative was significantly different (p = .03). HPV/p16 status was significant on univariate and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  
  HPV oropharyngeal SCC is strongly present in this African American cohort. Two thirds of the patients who were HPV-positive were p16-negative. Greater study is needed to explain the high p16 negativity among this HPV-positive oropharyngeal SCC African American cohort. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E867-E872, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.|Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Shobha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parajuli
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blackman
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Lincoln University, Lincoln University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The Lincoln University, Lincoln University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hull
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: J Robert
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Division of Population Science, Department of Medical Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Veda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giri
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Lincoln University, Lincoln University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Iherjirka
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Jasvir S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Khurana
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Camille R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Ragin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000235:genetics*; D004279:DNA, Viral; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States
chemical_list: C000614131:CDKN2A protein, human; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D004279:DNA, Viral
keywords: African Americans; head and neck neoplasms; healthcare disparities; human papillomavirus; oropharyngeal neoplasms