PLoS ONE (Jan 2018)

Role of mucosal high-risk human papillomavirus types in head and neck cancers in Romania.

  • Ramona Gabriela Ursu,
  • Mihai Danciu,
  • Irene Alexandra Spiridon,
  • Ruediger Ridder,
  • Susanne Rehm,
  • Fausto Maffini,
  • Sandrine McKay-Chopin,
  • Christine Carreira,
  • Eric Lucas,
  • Victor-Vlad Costan,
  • Eugenia Popescu,
  • Bogdan Cobzeanu,
  • Nicolae Ghetu,
  • Luminita Smaranda Iancu,
  • Massimo Tommasino,
  • Michael Pawlita,
  • Dana Holzinger,
  • Tarik Gheit

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199663
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 6
p. e0199663

Abstract

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BACKGROUND:Limited information is available about the involvement of human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) in Romanian patients. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the HPV-attributable fraction in HNSCCs collected in Northeastern Romania. MATERIALS AND METHODS:In total, 189 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples (99 oral cavity tumors, 28 oropharynx, 48 pharynx, and 14 larynx/hypopharynx) were analyzed for HPV DNA and RNA using Luminex-based assays, and for overexpression of p16INK4a (p16) by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS:Of the 189 cases, 23 (12.2%) were HPV DNA-positive, comprising half of the oropharyngeal cases (14/28, 50.0%) and 9/161 (5.6%) of the non-oropharyngeal cases. HPV16 was the most prevalent HPV type (20/23, 86.9%), followed by HPV18 (5/23, 21.7%) and HPV39 (1/23, 4.3%). Only two (2/189, 1.1%) HNSCC cases were HPV-driven, i.e. positive for both HPV DNA and RNA. CONCLUSION:A very small subset of HNSCC cases within this cohort from Northeastern Romania appeared to be HPV-driven.