Abstract
Objective: 1) To determine the incidence of human papilloma virus (HPV) expression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). 2) To determine the subtypes of HPV associated with laryngeal SCC.
Method: Between 2006 and 2011, most new diagnoses of laryngeal SCC at our institution were sent for HPV PCR. A retrospective review was conducted on these patients. The results of this test, patient history, and tumor characteristics were collected. Descriptive statistics and Student’s t test were performed.
Results: Thirty patients with laryngeal SCC and an HPV PCR assay were identified. Three patients (10%) were positive for HPV. Subtypes 16, 31, and 59 were identified in these 3 patients. The HPV+ patients exhibited a trend towards less tobacco use (23 pack-years versus 46 pack-years in HPV– patients), although this was not statistically significant (P = .18). There was no significant difference in age between HPV+ and HPV– patients (63.3 years vs 65.8 years, P = .88).
Conclusion: Although not as common as in oropharyngeal SCC, a subset of laryngeal SCC is associated with HPV. Several subtypes of HPV may be found in this disease. Future prospective studies will be useful to more accurately determine the incidence of HPV in laryngeal SCC and its effects on disease outcomes.
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