The role of human papillomavirus in head and neck cancer in Senegal
Menée à partir d'échantillons tumoraux inclus en paraffine, cette étude multicentrique transversale évalue la prévalence d'une infection par le papillomavirus humain parmi les cas de cancer de la tête et du cou au Sénégal
BACKGROUND:Exploring the presence and role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck cancer (HNC) is a necessary step to evaluate the potential impact of HPV prophylactic vaccines. OBJECTIVE:To assess the prevalence and oncogenic role of HPV in HNC in Senegal. METHODS:This is a multicenter cross-sectional study. Paraffin-embedded blocks of cases diagnosed with invasive HNC between 2002 and 2010 were collected from 4 pathology laboratories in Senegal. Presence of HPV DNA was determined by PCR and DEIA, and genotyping performed with LiPA25. Tubulin analysis was performed to assess DNA quality. HPV DNA-positive cases were tested for p16INK4a expression.Findings A total of 117 cases were included in the analysis: 71% were men, mean age was 52 years old (SD +/-18.3), and 96 % of cases were squamous cell carcinoma. Analysis was performed on 41 oral cavity tumors, 64 laryngeal tumors, 5 oropharyngeal tumors and 7 pharyngeal tumors. Only four cases (3.4%; 95% CI = 0.9%-8.5%) harbored HPV DNA. HPV types detected were HPV16, HPV35 and HPV45. However, among HPV-positive cases, none showed p16INK4a overexpression. CONCLUSION:Our findings indicate that HPV DNA prevalence in HNC in Senegal is very low, suggesting that HPV is not a strong risk factor for these cancers. Additional larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore other potential risk factors specific to the region.