Hashmi Atif A, Younus Naila, Naz Samreen, Irfan Muhammad, Hussain Zubaida, Shaikh Sara T, Ali Javaria, Faridi Naveen, Najam Javeria, Shoaib Maira, Hashmi Shumaila K
Pathology, Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College, Karachi, PAK.
Pathology, HITEC Institute of Medical Sciences, Taxila, PAK.
Cureus. 2020 Jun 13;12(6):e8601. doi: 10.7759/cureus.8601.
Background p16 is a tumor suppressor gene, over expression of which is considered as a surrogate marker of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Moreover, p16 over expression correlates with good prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of p16 overexpression in HNSCC in our setup and its association with clinicopathologic parameters. Methods We performed p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC) on 144 cases of HNSCC. Association of p16 overexpression with various clinicopathologic parameters including T-stage, N-stage, grade, recurrence status, and risk factors was evaluated. Results p16 over expression was noted in 22.9% (33 cases), while 21.5% (31 cases) were focal positive and 55.6% (80 cases) were negative for p16 over expression. On the basis of percentage of expression; > 70% p16 expression was noted in 4.9% (7 cases), 9% (13 cases) showed 51% - 70% p16 expression, 9% (13 cases) revealed 11%-50% p16 expression, while 77.1% cases revealed no expression or < 10% p16 expression. Significant association of p16 expression was noted with nodal metastasis and extranodal spread while no significant association of p16 was noted with other prognostic parameters and risk factors. Conclusion Our data revealed that high expression (> 50%) of p16 is low in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in our setup. These finding suggest a low prevalence of HPV as a cause of HNSCC in our population. Moreover, p16 expression was found to be associated with some good prognostic parameters like lack of nodal metastasis, however, no significant association was noted with overall disease-free survival.
p16是一种肿瘤抑制基因，其过表达被认为是人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）致癌感染的替代标志物。此外，p16过表达与头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）的良好预后相关。在本研究中，我们旨在评估在我们的研究环境中HNSCC中p16过表达的频率及其与临床病理参数的关联。方法：我们对144例HNSCC病例进行了p16免疫组织化学（IHC）检测。评估p16过表达与包括T分期、N分期、分级、复发状态和危险因素在内的各种临床病理参数的关联。结果：22.9%（33例）病例出现p16过表达，21.5%（31例）为局灶阳性，55.6%（80例）p16过表达为阴性。根据表达百分比；4.9%（7例）病例p16表达>70%，9%（13例）病例p16表达为51%-70%，9%（13例）病例p16表达为11%-50%，而77.1%病例无表达或p16表达<10%。p16表达与淋巴结转移和结外扩散显著相关，而与其他预后参数和危险因素无显著关联。结论：我们的数据显示，在我们的研究环境中，口咽鳞状细胞癌中p16高表达（>50%）的情况较少。这些发现表明，在我们的人群中，HPV作为HNSCC病因的患病率较低。此外，发现p16表达与一些良好的预后参数相关，如无淋巴结转移，但与总体无病生存率无显著关联。
