High-risk Human Papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA Detection in Mouth Rinses for Diagnosis of HPV-driven oropharynx cancer

Background The detection of HPV DNA in mouthwashes has been reported as an alternative to the immunohistochemical detection of p16 in oropharyngeal (OPSCC) and other squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region (HNSCC). HPV DNA might be a marker correlating with HPV-associated tumors. The possible use of mouthwashes to assess therapeutic response, indicated by a reduction of detectable HPV DNA due to therapy, or even a complete loss of detectable HPV DNA after curative treatment, has not been investigated yet. We examined whether curative therapy of HPV-associated OPSCC is related to an altered frequency of high-risk HPV DNA (HR-HPV-DNA) in mouth rinses before and after therapy.

Methods Within a prospective study, 137 mouthwashes from 88 HNSCC patients were collected between 05/2016 and 10/2018. HPV was genotyped using the Inno-LiPA HPV genotyping assay and correlated with HPV status in the primary tumor (HR-HPV DNA, and HPV16 E6*I mRNA) and p16.

Results Despite comparatively low sensitivity of 31.3 %, HPV-driven tumors were detected with an appropriate specificity of 71.4 %, a high negative predictive value of 79.5 %, and an accuracy of 74.2 %.

Conclusion The curative treatment of HPV-driven OPSCC may be linked to absence of HPV-DNA in mouth rinses.

Poster-PDF A-1918.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020