Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus and Other Risk Factors in Lithuanian Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

OBJECTIVE: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a disease attributed to exposure to tobacco and alcohol. However, many epidemiological and molecular data suggest that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection may promote head and neck carcinogenesis. The objective of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of HPV and its various types in fresh HNSCC tumor samples using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). METHODS: 48 patients with primary diagnosed HNSCC carcinoma were investigated. HPV DNA was detected using PCR. HPV-positive samples were additionally tested for HPV16 and 18. RESULTS: Of the 48 patients, 13 (27.1%) had detectable HPV. After HPV typing, HPV16 was found in only 4 cases (30.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated a HPV detection rate of 27.1% in Lithuanian HNSCC patients; 30.1% of them harbored HPV16. There were no differences regarding the other risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption and occupational history) between HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients with head and neck cancer in our study.