HPV Infection in Head and Neck Cancer

Vaccination Expectations in HNSCC

HPV Infection in Head and Neck Cancer

Recent results in cancer research Fortschritte der Krebsforschung Progrès dans les recherches sur le cancer, October 2016

27699546

978-3-31-943578-7, 978-3-31-943580-0

Stina Syrjänen, Jaana Rautava

Wojciech Golusiński, C. René Leemans, Andreas Dietz

HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), more specifically the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer, is dramatically increasing in industrialized countries. According to what has been learned from anogenital vaccination programs, there are reasons to believe that current human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations may be potentially effective also against HNSCC. However, before specific results on HNSCC are available, one must keep in mind that carcinogenesis in the head and neck region may differ from that of the anogenital tract. Furthermore, the current evidence supports the view that HPV infection is much more complex than simply a sexually transmitted disease. HPV is present in the semen, placenta and in the newborns, and these infections of the newborns create cell-mediated immunity (CMI) against HPV, including the T memory cells. Acquisition of HPV infection in early life will rise new series of questions in the field of HPV vaccination.