Second Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Medical Oncology, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Anticancer Drugs. 2011 Aug;22(7):586-90. doi: 10.1097/CAD.0b013e328344ec44.
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs), especially type 16, are implicated in the development of a subset of head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCCs). This subset of oropharyngeal cancers possesses distinct clinical and laboratory features and outcome, and is particularly common in individuals who lack the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol abuse. Moreover, the annual incidence of HPV-related HNSCCs has increased in the USA and Europe in the last few years. As HPV-associated HNSCCs share a better prognosis compared with stage-matched HPV-negative ones, selected patients could be spared the intensive and toxic treatment and be oriented to organ preservation strategies. Preventive HPV vaccines have already been designed against cervical cancer, and a further understanding of HPV-associated carcinogenesis could potentially lead to the development of HPV-targeted therapeutic strategies. This study summarizes the current knowledge regarding the epidemiology, biology, malignant transformation mechanisms, and prognosis of HPV-associated HNSCCs, and underlines the clinical implications of related treatments and prophylactic strategies.
人乳头瘤病毒（HPV），特别是 16 型，与一部分头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）的发生有关。这部分口咽癌具有独特的临床和实验室特征及结局，在那些缺乏烟草和酒精滥用等传统危险因素的人群中尤为常见。此外，在过去几年中，美国和欧洲 HPV 相关性 HNSCC 的发病率逐年上升。由于 HPV 相关性 HNSCC 的预后与分期匹配的 HPV 阴性者相比更好，因此部分患者可避免接受密集且有毒的治疗，并采用器官保留策略。针对宫颈癌已经设计出预防性 HPV 疫苗，进一步了解 HPV 相关性致癌作用可能会导致开发针对 HPV 的治疗策略。本研究总结了 HPV 相关性 HNSCC 的流行病学、生物学、恶性转化机制和预后的现有知识，并强调了相关治疗和预防策略的临床意义。
