Pattern of and survival following loco-regional and distant recurrence in patients with HPV+ and HPV − oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A population-based study

The incidence of patients diagnosed with human papillomavirus positive (HPV+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is increasing. Nevertheless, this OPSCC group has a markedly better prognosis compared with the tobacco-related (HPV −) OPSCCs [1–3]. Regardless, up to 25% of patients with HPV+ OPSCC encounter disease recurrence within three years of completed treatment [4–6]. The risk of short-term loco-regional failure is reported low for patients with HPV+ or p16+ (a surrogate marker for HPV) tumors compared to patients with HPV or p16 negative tumors.
Source: Oral Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research