Home FOR AUTHORS Neoplasma 2020 Neoplasma Vol.67, No.6, p.1456–1463, 2020

Journal info


6 times a year.
Founded: 1954
ISSN 0028-2685
ISSN 1338-4317 (online)

Published in English

Editorial Info
Abstracted and Indexed
Submission Guidelines

Select Journal







Webshop Cart

Your Cart is currently empty.

Info: Your browser does not accept cookies. To put products into your cart and purchase them you need to enable cookies.

Neoplasma Vol.67, No.6, p.1456–1463, 2020

Title: Significance of transcriptionally-active high-risk human papillomavirus in sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma: Case series and a meta-analysis
Author: M. ŠVAJDLER, J. NĚMCOVA, P. DUBINSKÝ, A. METELKOVA, P. ŠVAJDLER, Ľ. STRAKA, R. SAKAŘ, O. DAUM, M. MICHAL, A. SKÁLOVÁ, R. MEZENCEV

Abstract: Sinonasal cancers represent a highly heterogeneous group of head and neck cancers, for which etiological and prognostic significance of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infections has not yet been conclusively established. We investigated the presence of transcriptionally-active high-risk HPV in a series of 34 sinonasal squamous cell cancer (SNSCC) cases and evaluated the effect of transcriptionally-active HPV on the overall survival. In addition, we performed a meta-analysis of previously published studies, including this study, to summarize the prevalence of HPV positivity across histological subtypes of SNSCC. The presence of transcriptionally-active HPV was detected by HPV mRNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or in situ hybridization (ISH). P16 expression was evaluated as a surrogate marker for transcriptionally-active HPV infection by immunohistochemistry (IHC), the presence of high-risk HPV DNA was tested by PCR and the HPV genotypes were determined by sequencing of PCR amplicons.
Transcriptionally-active HPV infections were found in ~25% of the SNSCC cases. The role of HPV infection in keratinizing SNSCC may be higher than previously reported (~32% in our study vs ~0-6.3% in all other studies). Patients with transcriptionally-active HPV-positive SNSCCs were more likely to be diagnosed at earlier stages (p markers of transcriptionally-active HPV infections. However, p16/IHC may have significantly lower sensitivity as a surrogate marker of transcriptionally-active HPV in SNSCCs compared to OPSCCs. Furthermore, in our group of SNSCCs, all cases positive for high-risk HPV DNA by PCR were also transcriptionally-active (causative) infections with positive HPV mRNA by ISH. Our results imply a possible different role of HPV-mediated carcinogenesis of squamous cell epithelium in oropharyngeal and sinonasal sites with latter displaying a lower proportion of causative HPV infections; nevertheless, most cases positive for high-risk HPV DNA, p16/IHC or combination thereof were also found positive for transcriptionally-active HPV. Prognostic significance of HPV status in SNSCCs remains inconclusive and future studies should investigate the presence of transcriptionally-active HPV by direct HPV testing.

Keywords: sinonasal; squamous cell carcinoma; human papillomavirus; survival; p16
Published online: 27-Aug-2020
Year: 2020, Volume: 67, Issue: 6 Page From: 1456, Page To: 1463
doi:10.4149/neo_2020_200330N332


download file



© AEPress s.r.o
Copyright notice: For any permission to reproduce, archive or otherwise use the documents in the ELiS, please contact AEP.