Next Article in Journal
Impact of the College of American Pathologists, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the Association for Molecular Pathology Clinical Practice Guidelines for Egfr and Alk Testing in Lung Cancer in Canada
Previous Article in Journal
Are Two-Centimeter Breast Cancers Large or Small?
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Current Oncology
Volume 20
Issue 4
10.3747/co.20.1375
curroncol-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles thumb_up
...
Endorse textsms
...
Comment
Current Oncology is published by MDPI from Volume 28 Issue 1 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by MDPI on mdpi.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Multimed Inc..
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

The Epidemic of Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer in a Canadian Population

by
A.C. Nichols
1,2,3,4,5,*,
D.A. Palma
2,3,4,
S.S. Dhaliwal
,
S. Tan
1,
J. Theuer
1,
W. Chow
1,
C. Rajakumar
1,
S. Um
1,
N. Mundi
1,
S. Berk
1,
R. Zhou
1,
J. Basmaji
1,
G. Rizzo
1,
J.H. Franklin
1,2,4,
K. Fung
1,2,4,
K. Kwan
5,
B. Wehrli
5,
M.I. Salvadori
6,
E. Winquist
2,4,
S. Ernst
2,4,
S. Kuruvilla
2,4,
N. Read
2,4,
V. Venkatesan
2,4,
B. Todorovic
2,7,
J.A. Hammond
2,4,
J. Koropatnick
2,3,4,7,
J.S. Mymryk
1,2,3,4,7,
J. Yoo
1,2,4 and
J.W. Barrett
1,2,3,4add Show full author list remove Hide full author list
1
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
2
London Regional Cancer Program, London, ON, Canada
3
Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
4
Department of Oncology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
5
Department of Pathology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
6
Department of Paediatrics, Infectious Disease Division, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
7
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Curr. Oncol. 2013, 20(4), 212-219; https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1375
Submission received: 12 May 2013 / Revised: 10 June 2013 / Accepted: 8 July 2013 / Published: 1 August 2013

Abstract

Background: Sexually transmitted infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for a significant burden of human cancers involving the cervix, anogenital tract, and oropharynx. Studies in the United States and Europe have demonstrated an alarming increase in the frequency of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, but the same direct evidence does not exist in Canada. Methods: Using the London Health Sciences Centre pathology database, we identified tonsillar cancers diagnosed between 1993 and 2011. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was then used on pre-treatment primary-site biopsy samples to test for DNA from the high-risk HPV types 16 and 18. The study cohort was divided into three time periods: 1993–1999, 2000–2005, and 2006–2011. Results: Of 160 tumour samples identified, 91 (57%) were positive for HPV 16. The total number of tonsillar cancers significantly increased from 1993–1999 to 2006–2011 (32 vs. 68), and the proportion of cases that were HPV-positive substantially increased (25% vs. 62%, p < 0.002). Those changes were associated with a marked improvement in 5-year overall survival (39% in 1993–1999 vs. 84% in 2006–2011, p < 0.001). When all factors were included in a multivariable model, only HPV status predicted treatment outcome. Interpretation: The present study is the first to provide direct evidence that HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is increasing in incidence in a Canadian population. Given the long lag time between HPV infection and clinically apparent malignancy, oropharyngeal cancer will be a significant clinical problem for the foreseeable future despite vaccination efforts.
Keywords: human papillomavirus; oropharyngeal cancer; epidemiology; hnscc human papillomavirus; oropharyngeal cancer; epidemiology; hnscc

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Nichols, A.C.; Palma, D.A.; Dhaliwal, S.S.; Tan, S.; Theuer, J.; Chow, W.; Rajakumar, C.; Um, S.; Mundi, N.; Berk, S.; et al. The Epidemic of Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer in a Canadian Population. Curr. Oncol. 2013, 20, 212-219. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1375

AMA Style

Nichols AC, Palma DA, Dhaliwal SS, Tan S, Theuer J, Chow W, Rajakumar C, Um S, Mundi N, Berk S, et al. The Epidemic of Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer in a Canadian Population. Current Oncology. 2013; 20(4):212-219. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1375

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nichols, A.C., D.A. Palma, S.S. Dhaliwal, S. Tan, J. Theuer, W. Chow, C. Rajakumar, S. Um, N. Mundi, S. Berk, and et al. 2013. "The Epidemic of Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer in a Canadian Population" Current Oncology 20, no. 4: 212-219. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1375

APA Style

Nichols, A. C., Palma, D. A., Dhaliwal, S. S., Tan, S., Theuer, J., Chow, W., Rajakumar, C., Um, S., Mundi, N., Berk, S., Zhou, R., Basmaji, J., Rizzo, G., Franklin, J. H., Fung, K., Kwan, K., Wehrli, B., Salvadori, M. I., Winquist, E., ... Barrett, J. W. (2013). The Epidemic of Human Papillomavirus and Oropharyngeal Cancer in a Canadian Population. Current Oncology, 20(4), 212-219. https://doi.org/10.3747/co.20.1375

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop