The incidence trend of the HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma from 2004 to 2020 in Cologne

Introduction HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma is considered a distinct tumor entity. While increasing incidences and strong regional differences have been widely described, studies on the national incidence trend are lacking.

Material and Methods In the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the University Hospital of Cologne 539 patients with OPSCC were treated between 2004 and 2020. Diagnostics regarding p16 status and HPV DNA were performed. Here, we investigate the incidence trend of HPV-associated OPSCC considering demographic data, nicotine and alcohol consumption and 5-year survival of patients.

Results There was a significant increase in the proportion of HPV-associated OPSCC in the total number of OPSCC treated, with 73% showing dichotomous positivity in 2020. HPV subtype 16 was detectable in 87.8% of HPV-associated cases. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in terms of risk profile (significantly lower nicotine and alcohol consumption in HPV-associated OPSCC) and in terms of 5-year survival (71.2% in HPV-associated OPSCC vs. 36.3% in HPV-negative OPSCC). There was no age difference and no difference regarding gender distribution.

Discussion The results confirm the incidence trend of HPV-associated OPSCC reported in the literature. It is worth mentioning that in the present evaluation, only dichotomously positive OPSCC were considered HPV-associated. In the current TNM classification only p16 positivity is assessed.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
24. Mai 2022