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Review
. 2013 Aug;46(4):521-43.
doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2013.04.009. Epub 2013 Jun 27.

Impact of human papillomavirus on oropharyngeal cancer biology and response to therapy: implications for treatment

Juliana Bonilla-Velez  1 , Edmund A Mroz, Rebecca J Hammon, James W Rocco
Affiliations
Review

Impact of human papillomavirus on oropharyngeal cancer biology and response to therapy: implications for treatment

Juliana Bonilla-Velez et al. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2013 Aug.

Abstract

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) originating from human papillomavirus infection has emerged as a new entity in head and neck cancer, defining a subset of patients with distinct carcinogenesis, risk factor profiles, and clinical presentation that show markedly improved survival than patients with classic OPSCC. De-escalation of therapy and identification of relevant biomarkers to aid in patient selection are actively being investigated. This review addresses the implications of these findings in clinical care.

Keywords: Clinical implications; HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer; Treatment implications.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hazard ratios for overall survival based on patient pre-treatment characteristics. Marked categories represent characteristics associated with HPV-positive OPSCC. Adapted from Bonner et al. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 Elsevier. All rights reserved.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan-Meier curves for DFS based on risk stratification by EGFR, HPV-16, p16, p53 and Bcl-xL. From Kumar et al. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk classification scheme (A) and corresponding Kaplan-Meier curves for overall survival with their 95% CI (B). From Ang et al. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Kaplan-Meier curves for DFS and OS based on risk classification by HPV status and Bcl-2. Adapted from Nichols et al. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 American Association for Cancer Research. All rights reserved.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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