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. 2025 Jul 29;20(1):52.
doi: 10.1186/s13027-025-00687-7.

Detection of high-risk human papillomavirus genotypes 58 and 59 among oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

Affiliations

Detection of high-risk human papillomavirus genotypes 58 and 59 among oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

Snigdha Maity et al. Infect Agent Cancer. .

Abstract

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), a type of head and neck cancer (HNC), represents a major global health issue contributing to substantial morbidity and mortality. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an established oncogenic virus and is among the major causes for OPSCC. Although HPV has been identified as a risk factor for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Limited information exists on its current prevalence and associated risk factors in India.The current research aimed to detect different high-risk HPV genotypes among OSCC and OPSCC patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore, India. After consenting to participate in the study, tumor tissue biopsies were collected from 25 oral cancer patients. Nucleic acid was extracted from samples and tested for high-risk HPV by real-time PCR and conventional multiplex PCR. Furthermore, Sanger sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were performed to identify the specific genotypes. Among the 25 biopsy samples tested, three samples (12%) were positive for high-risk HPV. The sequencing results indicated that two of the samples belonged to HR HPV type 58, and one belonged to type 59. Clinical analysis revealed a significant association between HPV-positive OSCC and high alcohol consumption and tobacco chewing.The findings of the present study suggest that in addition to traditional risk factors such as alcohol and tobacco use, HPV may also be a risk factor for the development and progression of OSCC, although its specific etiological role remains unclear. While most Indian studies have consistently reported HPV 16 and 18 as the predominant subtypes, our findings highlight the presence of other HR-HPV types 58 and 59 among OSCC patients.

Keywords: Cancer; HPV 58; HPV 59; Human papillomavirus; Oral squamous cell carcinoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC), Kasturba Medical College, MAHE (DHR Registration no. EC/NEW/INST/2021/1707) (Approval IEC 2: 715/2023) and A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Mangalore (DCGI Registration no. EC/NEW/INST/2020/741). The study was approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC), MAHE. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Consent for publication: Informed consent was obtained from all the subjects involved in the study. Clinical trials registry: Clinical trials registry, India (CTRI Number- CTRI/2024/04/064991) registration was obtained. Study is not a clinical trial however based on IEC recommendations clearance was obtained.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Duration of habit and clinical features of the study population. A) Graph representing the duration of habit in years for both alcohol and tobacco. B) Pie chart representing the frequency of clinical features of OSCC and OPSCC patients during enrolment in the study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Agarose gel electrophoresis A) 1st round of HPV conventional nested PCR using PGMY09/11 primer sets (expected product size~ 450 bp). B) 2nd round HPV PCR product using MGP primer sets (expected product size ~ 158–168 bp). Samples 4, 8 and 10 were positive
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Phylogenetic tree (L1 gene sequence). The sequences from the current study are marked with red boxes (HPV 58) and blue triangles (HPV 59). The phylogenetic tree was constructed using the maximum likelihood method with a bootstrap value of 1000 via MEGA11
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Bar graph showing the associations between HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients. A) HPV positivity. B) Age distribution. C) Socioeconomic status. D) Cancer site. E) Type of habit. HPV-positive cases are represented by red bars, and negative cases are represented by blue bars

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