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. 2008 Oct;44(10):915-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2008.01.001. Epub 2008 Mar 7.

Presence of HPV DNA in convalescent salivary rinses is an adverse prognostic marker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Alice Y Chuang  1 , Tony C Chuang, Steven Chang, Shaoyu Zhou, Shahnaz Begum, William H Westra, Patrick K Ha, Wayne M Koch, Joseph A Califano
Affiliations

Presence of HPV DNA in convalescent salivary rinses is an adverse prognostic marker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Alice Y Chuang et al. Oral Oncol. 2008 Oct.

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 is present in up to 60% of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and confers a favorable prognosis in terms of recurrence and mortality. Previous reports demonstrated that HPV-16 DNA can be detected in the initial salivary rinses from these patients. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of post-treatment HPV DNA shed from the oral mucosa as a prognostic marker for persistent/recurrent head and neck cancer. Fresh tumor samples and pre- and post-treatment salivary rinses were collected from 59 patients with HNSCC. HPV-16 E6 and E7 DNA copy number in these samples were quantified by real time PCR. Twenty of 59 patients (33.9%) were HPV-16 positive in their tumors before treatment. Four of 20 HPV tumor positive patients ultimately developed recurrence, and two of these four patients were HPV-16 positive in surveillance salivary rinses (sensitivity=50%). Of the 39 (66.1%) HPV-16 negative patients on initial clinical presentation and the 16 HPV-16 positive patients who did not recur, none were HPV-16 positive in salivary rinses after treatment (specificity=100%). HPV-16 presence in follow-up salivary rinses preceded clinical detection of disease recurrence by an average of 3.5 months. Patients with presence of HPV-16 DNA in surveillance salivary rinses are at significant risk for recurrence. Quantitative measurement of salivary HPV-16 DNA has promise for surveillance and early detection of recurrence.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Layout of patient groups by HPV status pre-treatment and post-treatment and recurrence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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