title: HPV and oropharyngeal cancer: etiology and prognostic importance.
abstract: HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease, but the overwhelming majority of individuals clear the infection. A small percentage of individuals develop persistence of oncogenic HPV types, especially HPV-16; and as a result, squamous cell carcinoma can develop in the tonsils and base of the tongue. Over 70% of oropharyngeal cancers are now thought to be associated with oncogenic HPV infection. Immunohistochemistry for p16 protein is often used as a surrogate marker for oncogenic HPV in the oropharyngeal tissues, although alternative HPV DNA testing methods are under intensive study. The clinical profile of patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) differs quite notably from that of traditional head and neck cancer patients, and the prognosis for HPV-associated OPC is significantly better. As a result, experimental clinical trials are focused on de-intensification of therapies with the hope of preserving an improved long-term quality of life for these patients.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiation Oncology & Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, California, USA. yoms@radonc.ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Sue S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yom
mesh_terms: D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral