title: HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer Via p16 Immunohistochemistry in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Human papillomavirus (HPV) has emerged as a driving cause of head and neck cancer, but investigations outside the West are limited. A p16 immunohistochemistry is a commonly used biomarker for HPV cancers. We sought to investigate the pathology and rates of HPV head and neck oropharyngeal cancer in Japan via p16 immunohistochemistry at 2 institutions in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-nine oropharyngeal specimens from 2 university hospitals in Japan were examined for morphology and p16 immunohistochemistry. The rate of p16 positivity was then determined, and the 2 groups were compared for differences in age, smoking history, gender, and stage of presentation and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of p16 positivity among the oropharyngeal specimens was 29.5%. There were important differences in the pathology compared to morphology usually seen in the US. The patients with p16+ cancer tended to be younger. There was no significant difference in smoking status. Patients with p16+ cancers trended toward better survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There appears to be a geographical difference in HPV rates of oropharyngeal cancers with persistently lower rates in Asian countries when compared to Western Europe and the US. Conclusions about HPV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in Western countries may not be generalizable across the globe at this time.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Toman
authors.affiliation: 2 Benefits Health System, Great Falls, Montana, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Von Larson
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka Japan.
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Umeno
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurita
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furusaka
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Manju L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Clarence T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
chemical_list: C000614131:CDKN2A protein, human; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16
keywords: HPV; Japan; oropharyngeal cancer; p16 immunohistochemistry