Although tobacco and alcohol consumption have been associated as principal risk factors in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), human papillomavirus (HPV) has also demonstrated oncogenic potential in the development of malignancies of the head and neck, including OSCC. A study by Ibieta, et al conducted in Mexico assessed the prevalence of HPV in a population with diagnosis of OSCC as well as the relationship of HPV to tobacco and alcohol consumption.
The study involved samples collected from 51 patients who had been histologically diagnosed as having OSCC. The samples were analyzed for HPV infection using polymerase chain reaction, and the clinical characteristics of the study population were analyzed.
The study found that HPV infection was present in 42% of patients with OSCC, with HPV-16 being the most frequent type. No differences were found among patients with or without HPV infection in terms of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Worldwide, the prevalence of HPV in patients with OSCC has been reported to be from 31% to 74%. This study adds support to the assertion that HPV plays a role in some of the patients who develop OSCC.
(Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology, Vol. 99, No. 3, 2005)
