Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan;54(1):57-64.
doi: 10.1111/jop.13594. Epub 2024 Nov 24.

Contribution of HPV Status for Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Release in Oropharyngeal Cancer

Adriana Aparecida Silva da Costa  1 , Sicília Rezende Oliveira  1 , Thalita Soares Tavares  1 , Daniela Pereira Meirelles  1 , Evânio Vilela da Silva  2 , Anderson Tangerino Ferreira da Silva  2 , Jorge Esquiche León  2 , Sérgio Vitorino Cardoso  3 , Maria Cássia Ferreira de Aguiar  1 , Tarcília Aparecida da Silva  1 , Patrícia Carlos Caldeira  1
Affiliations

Contribution of HPV Status for Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Release in Oropharyngeal Cancer

Adriana Aparecida Silva da Costa et al. J Oral Pathol Med. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OP-SCC) represents a public health problem and human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the risk factors. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) are meshes of DNA strands and granule proteins. NET has been identified in diverse cancers, whether associated with viruses or not. However, there is no information on NET in OP-SCC. We aimed to evaluate the NET release by neutrophils in the OP-SCC microenvironment, stratified by HPV status.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed OP-SCC biopsy specimens diagnosed from 1997 to 2021. HPV status was determined by p16 immunohistochemistry and "in situ" hybridization. Neutrophils were detected by CD66b immunohistochemistry. Immunofluorescence was used to identify NET by co-localization of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and citrullinated histone H3 (H3Cit). Bivariate statistics, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and the log-rank test were performed.

Results: HPV-positive and HPV-negative OP-SCC had similar CD66b + neutrophil infiltration (p > 0.05), but the release of NET was significantly increased in HPV-positive compared to HPV-negative OP-SCC samples (p < 0.05). Overall survival was not impacted by NET indexes (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: The presence of HPV may stimulate NET release in the OP-SCC microenvironment.

Keywords: neutrophil extracellular traps; oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma; oropharynx; squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. T. A. Berman and J. T. Schiller, “Human Papillomavirus in Cervical Cancer and Oropharyngeal Cancer: One Cause, Two Diseases,” Cancer 123, no. 12 (2017): 2219–2229, https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.30588.
    1. H. Sung, J. Ferlay, R. L. Siegel, et al., “Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries,” CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 71, no. 3 (2021): 209–249, https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21660.
    1. S. Al‐Sahaf, N. B. Hendawi, B. Ollington, et al., “Increased Abundance of Tumour‐Associated Neutrophils in HPV‐Negative Compared to HPV‐Positive Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Is Mediated by IL‐1R Signalling,” Frontiers in Oral Health 2 (2021): 604565, https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2021.604565.
    1. S. Marur, G. D'Souza, W. H. Westra, and A. A. Forastiere, “HPV‐Associated Head and Neck Cancer: A Virus‐Related Cancer Epidemic,” Lancet Oncology 11, no. 8 (2010): 781–789, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470‐2045(10)70017‐6.
    1. S. Partlová, J. Bouček, K. Kloudová, et al., “Distinct Patterns of Intratumoral Immune Cell Infiltrates in Patients With HPV‐Associated Compared to Non‐virally Induced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma,” Oncoimmunology 4, no. 1 (2015): e965570, https://doi.org/10.4161/21624011.2014.965570.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources