Oral HPV infection can persist in the oro-pharynx after treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with different patterns observed for HPV16-positive and HPV-negative tumors:
For HPV16-positive HNSCC:
- Most patients have detectable oral HPV16 prior to treatment.
- After treatment with radiation or chemoradiation, many patients clear the oral HPV16
- However, a significant proportion (around 25%) continue to have detectable oral HPV16 infection after treatment completion.
For HPV-negative HNSCC:
- Oral HPV is less common prior to treatment compared to HPV16-positive cases.
- Oral HPV rates tend to remain low after treatment completion.
In summary, oral HPV16 infection is more likely
to persist after treatment in patients with HPV16-positive HNSCC compared to
those with HPV-negative tumors.
This means that patients with this type of cancer are still carrying the HPV16 in their body and can potentially spread it to others. However, since this virus is very prevalent in individuals ( can be found in almost half of adults ) the significance of this information is unclear.
A systematic review and random effects
meta-analysis of 60 studies reported increased cancers in the population with
previous HPV-associated cancer when compared to controls. The clinical implications of persistent oral
HPV infection after treatment are still being investigated, but it may increase the risk of recurrence or second primary tumors.
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