Prevalence and characteristics of HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer in France
Menée à partir d'échantillons tumoraux prélevés sur 291 patients atteints d'un cancer des amygdales palatines ou de la base de la langue, cette étude évalue dans 15 hôpitaux français la proportion de cancers oropharyngés liés aux papillomavirus humains (HPV) à haut risque oncogène
Background : France has one of the highest incidence of head and neck cancers in Europe. Despite this, the epidemiological impact of high-risk human papilloma virus (HR-HPV) remains poorly investigated. Methods : We prospective assessed the proportion of oropharyngeal cancers due to HR-HPV in 15 hospitals throughout France. HPV-status was determined by p16-immunohistochemistry, and by detection of HPV-DNA using in situ hybridization. Cancers were classified as HPV-driven if both p16-immunohistochemistry and HPV-DNA assays were positive. Demographical and clinical features were recorded. Results : 291 patients with palatine-tonsil or tongue-base cancers were recruited from March-2011 to July-2012. Of these, 43.1% of samples were p16-positive and 37.7% were positive for both p16 and HPV-DNA. Prognosis was significantly better in patients with HPV-driven cancers, with smoking negatively impacting patients’ oncological outcomes. Conclusion : In France, more than a third of tonsillar and tongue base cancers are HPV-driven. More research concerning the evolution of HPV-driven cancers over time is needed.