Detection of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV), p16 and EGFR in Lung Cancer: Insights from the Mediterranean Region of Turkey

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an oncogenic DNA virus that plays a role in different cancer types. The aim of this study was to detect the prevalence and types of HPV and its relation with p16, EGFR and clinical findings in lung cancer. HPV and EGFR detection and genotyping of HPV were performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and p16 by immunohistochemistry. Fifty lung cancer patients and seven patients with non-neoplastic lung disease were enrolled in this study. HPV was positive in 78% (39/50) of lung cancer cases. HPV 51 was the most frequent type, followed by HPV 16. Moreover, p16 was positive in 24% (12/50) of the cancer patients, and all of these patients were HPV-positive, while 27 HPV-positive patients showed no p16 expression. There was no relationship between HPV infection and p16 (p = 0.05), gender (p = 0.42), age (p = 0.38), or smoking history (p = 0.68). Although not statistically significant, the HPV prevalence was found to be higher in cancer patients compared to non-neoplastic patients. The prevalence of HPV in lung cancer varies across different studies, which may be due to differences in the detection methods, number of patients, geographic regions, and vaccination status. Further studies are necessary to understand the role of HPV in lung cancer pathogenesis.

Keywords

• lung cancer
• human papillomavirus (HPV)
• polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• viral oncology
• p16 protein