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Review
. 2020;21(12):961-976.
doi: 10.1631/jzus.B2000161.

Detection of human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Fatin Hazwani Fauzi  1 , Nurul Izzati Hamzan  1 , Nurhayu Ab Rahman  1 , Siti Suraiya  2 , Suharni Mohamad  1
Affiliations
Review

Detection of human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Fatin Hazwani Fauzi et al. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2020.

Abstract

Worldwide there has been a significant increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) etiologically attributed to oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV). Reliable and accurate identification and detection tools are important as the incidence of HPV-related cancer is on the rise. Several HPV detection methods for OPSCC have been developed and each has its own advantages and disadvantages in regard to sensitivity, specificity, and technical difficulty. This review summarizes our current knowledge of molecular methods for detecting HPV in OPSCC, including HPV DNA/RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR), loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC), and DNA/RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) assays. This summary may facilitate the selection of a suitable method for detecting HPV infection, and therefore may help in the early diagnosis of HPV-related carcinoma to reduce its mortality, incidence, and morbidity.

Keywords: Human papillomavirus (HPV); Molecular detection; Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with ethics guidelines: Fatin Hazwani FAUZI, Nurul Izzati HAMZAN, Nurhayu Ab RAHMAN, Siti SURAIYA, and Suharni MOHAMAD declare that they have no conflict of interest.

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A schematic diagram of PCR-based amplification assays for detection of HPV HPV: human papillomavirus; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; qPCR: quantitative PCR; RT-qPCR: quantitative reverse-transcription PCR; ddPCR: droplet digital PCR
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A schematic diagram of the LAMP process for detection of HPV in OPSCC LAMP: loop-mediated isothermal amplification; HPV: human papillomavirus; OPSCC: oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mechanisms of HPV E6 and E7 proteins in the development of HPV-associated cancers E7 and E6 react with the tumor suppressor gene products pRb and p53 in host cell proteins, respectively, resulting in carcinogenesis. E2F: E2 factor; E6AP: E6-associated protein; HPV: human papillomavirus
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
HPV diagnostic algorithm for OPSCC Reprinted from Marino et al. (2020), with permission from Springer Nature via Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. HPV: human papillomavirus; IHC: immunohistochemistry; ISH: in situ hybridization; OPSCC: oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma; PCR: polymerase chain reaction
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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