Evaluating the Feasibility of Nested PCR as a Screening Tool to Detect HPV Infection in Saliva of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Subjects

Abstract

Introduction: Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world and is of significant public health importance. There is a clear evidence of rise in the prevalence rate of oropharyngeal cancers mostly located at the base of the tongue and tonsillar region, which is attributed to the augmented incidence of high risk Human Papilloma Viruses (HPV) infections and requires a routine screening tool. Aim: To detect and genotype HPV in the saliva of OSCC subjects using nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Materials and Methods: Saliva rinse of 30 OSCC patients from JSS Dental College Hospital and Bharath Hospital & Institute of Oncology and 30 each from normal and high risk individuals from different regions of Mysore were collected and nested PCR based high-risk HPV genotyping was carried out. Results: Using consensus PCR primers it was observed that 13.3% of normal subjects, 46.6% of high risk subjects and 43.3% of OSCC subjects were infected with HPV irrespective of specific type. In all the three groups the prevalence of HPV 16 was significantly higher than HPV 18. The odds ratio for high risk subjects to be HPV positive was found to be 5.68 (p= 0.007*) and for OSCC subjects to be HPV positive was 4.97 (p= 0.01*). Conclusion: Our study has emphasised, the fact that utilisation of saliva sample as a non-invasive tool in screening of HPV associated oropharyngeal cancers can be more patient friendly without compromising on the detection ability.

Keywords

• hpv genotyping
• pgmy09/pgmy11 primers
• gp5+/gp6+ primers
• non-invasive