Detection and typization of HPV genotypes in subjects with oral and upper respiratory tract lesions, Milan, Italy

Abstract

Background

Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) is common among healthy individuals but causes and implications of persistent infections are under evaluation in the pathogenesis of head and neck neoplasms.

Methods

This was a retrospective study evaluating the prevalence of high-risk (HR), probable HR and low-risk (LR) HPV types in patients reporting signs/symptoms of oral and upper respiratory tract lesions. Individuals attending between 2019 and 2022 a University Hospital in Milan, Italy, with risk factors for HPV (unprotected oral sex and/or previous documentation of HPV infection in oral and upper respiratory tract and/or another anatomical site) were included.

Results

Fourteen out of 110 (12.7%) individuals tested positive for HPV DNA. The prevalence of HR-HPV and LR-HPV was 3.6% (4/110) and 9.1% (10/110), respectively. No probable/possible HR-HPV was detected. Specifically, 10/110 (9.1%) were diagnosed with 1 LR-HPV genotype, 3/110 (2.7%) were infected with 1 HR-HPV and 1/110 had 3 concomitant HR-HPV types. HPV 16 (2.7%, 3/110) and 6 (4.5%, 5/110) were the most common HR and LR types, respectively. One patient positive for HPV 16, 33 and 35 was diagnosed with cancer at the base of the tongue. Two individuals among those who tested positive for HPV DNA reported previous HPV vaccination.

Conclusions

Our data, in line with observations from previous prevalence studies, support the potential role of HPV in head and neck neoplasms. HPV DNA testing should be performed in patients presenting lesions in oral/respiratory tracts and risk factors for HPV. Improvement in HPV vaccination coverage is warranted.

Keywords:

• HPV
• infection
• head
• neck
• neoplasm

Authors’ contribution

Conceptualisation: AR, AG

Data curation: FS, GP

Formal analysis: AR, FS

Investigation: LM, CT, CF

Resources AE, DM, DD, RL

Supervision: AG, AL, GR, MRG, SA

Visualisation: AR, AG

Roles/Writing – original draft: AR, FS, AG

Writing – review and editing: MVC, CF, DD, VDC

Clinical trial registration

Not applicable.

Ethics approval

The study was conducted as part of ‘Registro per il monitoraggio, lo studio e la promozione dell’assistenza dei pazienti afferenti al Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive dell’ASST-FBF-SACCO P.O. Luigi Sacco – Experimental registry n. 2022/ST/238. Protocol N.0011903/2023, 16/03/2023’.

Permission to reproduce material from other sources

Not applicable.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to the present manuscript. The authors have no conflict of interest relating to this study. AG has received consultancy fees from Mylan and Jansen, and non-financial educational support and a research grant from Gilead sciences and ViiV Healthcare. GR has received grants and fees for speaker bureaux, advisory boards and CME activities from BMS, ViiV, MSD, AbbVie, Gilead, Janssen and Roche. AG received grants and fees for speaker bureaux, advisory boards and CME activities from JANSSEN, VIIV, MSD, BMS, ABBVIE, GILEAD, NOVARTIS, PFIZER, ASTELLAS, ASTRAZENECA, ANGELINI. SA has received support for research activities from Pfizer and Merck Sharp & Dome. The other authors have nothing to declare.

Data availability statement

Anonymized data used to perform the analysis will be provided upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.