HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer: epidemiology, molecular biology and clinical management
- Study type
- Review article
- Design
- Review article
- Source
- Nat Rev Clin Oncol · 2022
In plain words
Cancer of the oropharynx (the back of the mouth and throat) linked to the HPV virus is rising quickly in high-income countries. This type of cancer usually has a better outlook and is more common in younger people, so many studies are testing gentler treatment to improve quality of life while keeping the results of treatment. Because the disease usually causes no symptoms in its early stages, it is often found late, and researchers are looking for markers that could detect it earlier.
Study population
This is not a primary study and no specific patients were enrolled. The article reviews human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).
Endpoints
This is a review article and has no specific primary or secondary endpoint. Topics reviewed include the epidemiology, molecular biology and clinical management of HPV-positive OPSCC.
Safety and side effects
The abstract presents no data on adverse events.
Clinical significance and place in guidelines
This review highlights the importance of separating HPV-positive from HPV-negative OPSCC in the eighth edition of UICC/AJCC staging because of its better prognosis, and refers to ongoing de-escalation trials, targeted therapies and immunotherapy, and the need for diagnostic biomarkers for early detection. Based on the abstract, the article makes no specific treatment recommendation; de-escalation is still being studied in trials and its status in clinical guidelines should be checked separately.
Limitations
This is a narrative review, and the abstract does not describe the search and source-selection methods or give quantitative data. The full text of the paper should be consulted for details of the findings and evidence.
This summary was prepared by the editorial team from the published paper; the original paper is the final reference. Read the original abstract on PubMed.