New findings have shown that head and neck cancer patients who are not infected with the HPV virus develop cancer in a different way from those infected with HPV.
These findings, published in Genome Medicine, could result in more effective treatments tailored for individuals rather than treating all with this type of cancer in the same way.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common cause of infection which usually causes no symptoms. The infection is often not diagnosed and there are no blood tests to detect it. There are more than 100 different types (or strains) of HPV.
In this study a team of researchers from UCL led by Professor Chris Boshoff analysed different genes that were expressed in those with head and neck cancer and the copy number alterations (changes in cells resulting in an abnormal number of copies of one or more sections of DNA).
Findings showed that those who were HPV negative had mutations in TP53, a gene that inhibits the development and growth of tumours and also known as a ‘tumour suppressor’.
From this, the team advocated that patients undergoing trials with CDK inhibitors should be tested for their HPV status so that it can be determined whether this affects how well they respond to treatment.
Cancer can occur in any of the tissues or organs in the head and neck, there are over 30 different places it can develop. The main risk factors for head and neck cancer are using tobacco and drinking alcohol. It is thought that 75% of cases are linked to tobacco or alcohol use. Other risk factors include gender, age and infection with the HPV 16 virus (a high-risk strain of HPV which can cause the formation of tumours). It is more common in men than women and most prevalent in those over 50.
To read Targeted next-generation sequencing of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma identifies novel genetic alterations in HPV+ and HPV- tumors click here.
