The relation between human papillomavirus (HPV) and oropharynx cancer: state of the art

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze, through literary research, the relation between oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), as well as associated epidemiological data and prognosis. Methods: This is a narrative review of literature, with investigation on PubMed, LiLACS, Scielo and BVS bases, as well as free search, from June/2021 to February/2022. The DeCS/MeSH descriptors used in Portuguese and English were: “HPV”, “Papillomavirus humano”, “Human Papillomavirus”, “Carcinoma de Células Escamosas Orofaríngeo”, “Oropharyngeal squamous cell Carcinoma” and “Carcinoma Escamocelular”. After all the refinement steps through the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 26 studies were selected. Results: Oropharyngeal cancer is related to HPV-positive patients, and its incidence is higher in men. It presents a growing increase in young adults. However, the prognosis and survival rates are favorable. Conclusion: There is a growing relation between oropharynx SCC and HPV in young and adult males, which emphasizes the importance and need for efforts to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of new cases. Further studies are needed to determine the epidemiological impact and this relation in the long term.

Keywords

• HPV
• Human Papillomavirus
• Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
• Carcinoma, squamous cell