Neoplasma. 2018;65(2):278-286. doi: 10.4149/neo_2018_170314N179.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with tonsillar cancer (TC) whose incidence in humans is increasing. Tonsillar tumours are not ordinarily preceded by clinically apparent precancerous lesions, and no markers of the early stage disease are available. Therefore, we evaluated the presence of an active HPV infection also in tumour-free tonsillar tissue. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tonsillar specimens from 114 patients with TC and 114 age and gender matched controls were screened for the presence of HPV DNA, expression of HR-HPV E6 mRNA, and p16 overexpression. HPV DNA was identified in 3.5% of tumour-free tissues, HR-HPV16 and 58 and LR-HPV111 and 17 were each detected in a single sample. No HR HPV E6 mRNA and p16 overexpression was found. The prevalence of HPV DNA in TC was 69.3%, with HPV16 being the most common (94.9%). Eighty-four percent of HPV16-positive tumours expressed HR HPV E6 mRNA, while no E6 mRNA was present in samples positive for HPV52 and 58. The overexpression of p16 correlated well with HPV DNA in TC, but in tumour-free tonsils no overexpression of p16 was detected.Our data provide further evidence of the etiological role of HPV16 in TC. In tumour-free tissue, the presence of HR-HPVs was rare and silent, as shown by direct and indirect markers.
人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）感染与扁桃体癌（TC）有关，而人类的 TC 发病率正在上升。扁桃体肿瘤通常不会伴有明显的癌前病变，也没有早期疾病的标志物。因此，我们评估了在无肿瘤的扁桃体组织中是否存在活跃的 HPV 感染。对 114 例 TC 患者和 114 例年龄和性别匹配的对照患者的福尔马林固定石蜡包埋（FFPE）扁桃体标本进行了 HPV DNA 存在情况、HR-HPV E6 mRNA 表达和 p16 过表达的筛查。在 3.5%的无肿瘤组织中检测到 HPV DNA，在单个样本中检测到 HR-HPV16 和 58 以及 LR-HPV11 和 17。未发现 HR HPV E6 mRNA 和 p16 过表达。TC 中 HPV DNA 的患病率为 69.3%，其中 HPV16 最为常见（94.9%）。84%的 HPV16 阳性肿瘤表达 HR HPV E6 mRNA，而 HPV52 和 58 阳性样本中不存在 E6 mRNA。p16 的过表达与 TC 中的 HPV DNA 相关性良好，但在无肿瘤的扁桃体中未检测到 p16 的过表达。我们的数据进一步证明了 HPV16 在 TC 中的病因作用。在无肿瘤组织中，直接和间接标志物均显示 HR-HPVs 的存在罕见且处于沉默状态。
