doiSerbia

p16 status of oropharyngeal and oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas: A single institution experience

Tomanović Nada (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, Serbia)
Tomić Anamarija (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, Serbia)
Boričić Ivan (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathology, Serbia)
Milovanović Jovica (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Serbia)
Folić Miljan (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Serbia)
Krejović-Trivić Sanja (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Serbia)
Miković Nikola (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Dentistry, Clinic for Maxillofacial Surgery, Serbia)
Đorić Igor (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Center of Serbia, Department of Radiology, Belgrade, Serbia)
Parapid Biljana (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Center of Serbia, Department of Cardiology, Belgrade, Serbia)
Uskoković Nikola (Institute of Public Health Kragujevac, Center for Control and Prevention of Disease, Kragujevac, Serbia)
Trivić Aleksandar (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Serbia), drcole71.at@gmail.com

Introduction/Objective. New World Health Organization Classification of Head and Neck Tumors from 2017 has introduced significant changes, mainly considering tumors in the oropharyngeal region. New entities of HPV-positive and -negative squamous cell carcinomas have been acknowledged, not only based on the presence of an active viral infection and different tumor markers expression, but also because of their different histopathology, staging assessment, and prognosis. A retrospective study has been conducted, in order to determine p16 positivity in squamous cell carcinomas in oropharynx and in the oral cavity, and to see whether they differ in sex and age distribution. Methods. The presence of viral infection was verified based on p16 immunochemistry staining, p16 being the surrogate marker for HPV infection. A total of 177 cases of squamous cell carcinomas in the oropharynx and the oral cavity, found in the archives of the Histopathology Laboratory of the Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Clinical Centre of Serbia, have been revised. Results. Out of 177 cases, 50 (28.2%) were p16-positive. Compared with carcinomas in the oral cavity, p16 carcinomas were significantly more common in the oropharynx (34.3% in the oropharynx, compared to 10.3% in the oral cavity). Carcinomas in both regions were mostly associated with male sex (88.1% of all cases were in males), but p16 positivity was more common in females (11 out of 21 cases, 52.4%). The most common location of p16-positive carcinomas were palatine tonsils (41.03% of tonsillar carcinomas were p16-positive). Conclusion. P16-positive squamous cell carcinomas were the most numerous in the oropharynx, i.e. palatine tonsils, and were more common in females.

Keywords: oropharynx, oral cavity, human papilloma virus, squamous cell carcinoma

Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 175026