Role of Human Papillomavirus Infection in Laryngeal Cancer

Jun, Hyung Kyung; Nam, Soon Yuhl; Kim, Hyuk; Kim, Sang Yoon; Huh, Joo Ryung

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption are well known risk factors of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Recently, attention has been focused on other risk factors such as human papillomavirus (HPV). The presence of HPV genome in the tumor has been reported to correlate with poor patient outcome. The integration of viral genome into the host DNA is believed to be helped by alcohol and cigarette smoking. This study attempted to evaluate the incidence of HPV in laryngeal cancer with regard to its stage and recurrence.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The authors examined the incidence of HPV in 61 cases of laryngeal cancers (34 supraglottic cancers, 26 glottic cancers, 1 subglottic cancer). The histologic type of tumor in all cases was squamous cell carcinoma. There were 8 patients in the stage 1, 26 patients in the stage 2, 14 patients in the stage 3 and stage 4. Recurrence of the disease during follow-up periods occurred in 12 patients (19.6%). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the consensus primers for HPV on the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissue. For cases with amplified products corresponding to the HPV genome, a dot blot hybridization was performed for typing the different HPV types.
RESULTS
The HPV genome was identified in 5 cases (8%) of laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas by using PCR. In recurrent laryngeal cancer group, detection rate of HPV DNA was significantly greater than in the non-recurrent group (p<0.05). The dot blot hybridization showed only one case to be the HPV type 31. The other cases (4 cases) could not be typed using the dot blot hybridization.
CONCLUSION
We can only say that the possible role of HPV in the carcinogenesis of larynx cancer is not yet resolved.