Open AccessPrognostic value of human papillomavirus and squamous cell carcinoma antigen in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Deng Zeyi,
Hasegawa Masahiro,
Yamashita Yukashi,
Matayoshi Sen,
Kiyuna Asanori,
Agena Shinya,
Uehara Takayuki,
Maeda Hiroyuki,
Suzuki Mikio
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/cas.12009
Subject(s) - head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , medicine , human papillomavirus , antigen , oncology , carcinoma , head and neck cancer , cancer research , pathology , cancer , immunology
To clarify the synergistic influence of human papillomavirus (HPV) status and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) mRNA expression on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) prognosis, HPV DNA presence and SCCA1 and SCCA2 mRNA expression were determined by PCR and quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR, respectively, in 121 patients with primary HNSCC who were receiving curative treatment. HPV DNA was detected in 28.1% (34/121) of HNSCC cases, and only high‐risk types (HPV‐16, HPV‐33, HPV‐35 and HPV‐58) were observed. Positive HPV status showed a significantly better prognosis than negative HPV status ( P = 0.022). An elevated SCCA2/SCCA1 mRNA ratio was an independent predictor of disease recurrence ( P = 0.004). In addition, HPV‐negative patients with a high SCCA2/SCCA1 ratio (>0.27) had a significantly lower recurrence‐free survival rate than HPV‐negative patients with a low SCCA2/SCCA1 ratio ( P < 0.011). Our findings revealed that both HPV status and the SCCA2/SCCA1 mRNA ratio are independently associated with prognosis in HNSCC. Patients with both a HPV‐negative status and a high SCCA2/SCCA1 ratio might need intensified treatment and rigorous follow up after treatment because of the high risk of recurrence.