Annika Antonsson1, Lani Knight1, Benedict J Panizza2, Sandro V Porceddu3, Sarah Emmett1, David C Whiteman1. 1. a Department of Population Health , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute , Brisbane , Australia. 2. b Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Princess Alexandra Hospital , Woolloongabba , Australia. 3. c Department of Radiation Oncology , Princess Alexandra Hospital , Woolloongabba , Australia.
Abstract
CONCLUSIONS: We did not identify any strong associations between HPV-16 viral load and any of the clinical or lifestyle factors. OBJECTIVE: The epidemiology of oropharyngeal SCC is changing, with an increasing proportion of HPV-positive cases seen in the last decade. It is known that a high viral load is linked to the development of cervical cancer, the relation between viral load and oropharyngeal SCC is less clear. We sought to determine HPV-16 viral load in HPV-positive oropharyngeal SCCs using highly sensitive digital PCR and to identify clinical and lifestyle factors associated with viral load. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analysed 45 HPV-16 positive oropharyngeal SCCs diagnosed between 2013 and 2015. All patients completed a lifestyle questionnaire and clinical data were extracted from medical charts. Viral load was determined using digital PCR assays for HPV-L1 and RNAseP. RESULTS: We found large variations in HPV-16 viral load from 1 to 930 copies per cell (median 34 copies per cell).
CONCLUSIONS: We did not identify any strong associations between HPV-16 viral load and any of the clinical or lifestyle factors. OBJECTIVE: The epidemiology of oropharyngeal SCC is changing, with an increasing proportion of HPV-positive cases seen in the last decade. It is known that a high viral load is linked to the development of cervical cancer, the relation between viral load and oropharyngeal SCC is less clear. We sought to determine HPV-16 viral load in HPV-positive oropharyngeal SCCs using highly sensitive digital PCR and to identify clinical and lifestyle factors associated with viral load. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analysed 45 HPV-16 positive oropharyngeal SCCs diagnosed between 2013 and 2015. All patients completed a lifestyle questionnaire and clinical data were extracted from medical charts. Viral load was determined using digital PCR assays for HPV-L1 and RNAseP. RESULTS: We found large variations in HPV-16 viral load from 1 to 930 copies per cell (median 34 copies per cell).