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Microorganisms
Volume 13
Issue 11
10.3390/microorganisms13112514
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Communication

Recent Trends in Prevalence of HPV Infection in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Japan

by
Luyao Liu
,
Nobuyuki Hirai
*,
Satoru Kondo
,
Makiko Moriyama-Kita
,
Ryotaro Nakazawa
,
Shigetaka Komura
,
Makoto Kano
,
Daisuke Uno
,
Manabu Inaba
,
Takayoshi Ueno
,
Yosuke Nakanishi
,
Kazuhira Endo
,
Hisashi Sugimoto
and
Tomokazu Yoshizaki
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2025, 13(11), 2514; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112514
Submission received: 25 September 2025 / Revised: 20 October 2025 / Accepted: 30 October 2025 / Published: 31 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Virology)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor in which the etiologic contribution of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is well established. However, similar to that of oropharyngeal carcinoma, some papers reported that human papilloma virus (HPV) contributed to the development of NPC in non-endemic regions. Previously, we conducted a study on HPV infection in patients with NPC between 1996 and 2015 in our department. The current study aims to evaluate the incidence and role of HPV infection in NPC pathogenesis using samples of NPC after 2015. Methods: Paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 26 patients with NPC who were treated at our department between 2015 and 2022 were analyzed. HPV polymerase chain reaction, p16 immunohistochemistry, HPV genotyping, and in situ hybridization for EBV-encoded RNA were performed to determine the viral infection status. Results: Of the 26 patients, 19 (73%) were EBV-positive and HPV-negative, 1 (4%) was EBV-negative and HPV-positive, and 6 (23%) were negative for both EBV and HPV. The detection rate of HPV has slightly increased from 3% to 4% over the past decade. Conclusion: Although Japan is a non-endemic region for NPC, HPV infection is exceedingly rare and may have a limited role in NPC development in Japan. However, the detection rate of HPV has not significantly changed in the past decade, further supporting the view that HPV has a relatively small impact on the pathogenesis of NPC in Japan.
Keywords: nasopharyngeal carcinoma; human papillomavirus; immunohistochemistry; non-endemic region nasopharyngeal carcinoma; human papillomavirus; immunohistochemistry; non-endemic region

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Liu, L.; Hirai, N.; Kondo, S.; Moriyama-Kita, M.; Nakazawa, R.; Komura, S.; Kano, M.; Uno, D.; Inaba, M.; Ueno, T.; et al. Recent Trends in Prevalence of HPV Infection in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Japan. Microorganisms 2025, 13, 2514. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112514

AMA Style

Liu L, Hirai N, Kondo S, Moriyama-Kita M, Nakazawa R, Komura S, Kano M, Uno D, Inaba M, Ueno T, et al. Recent Trends in Prevalence of HPV Infection in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Japan. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(11):2514. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112514

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liu, Luyao, Nobuyuki Hirai, Satoru Kondo, Makiko Moriyama-Kita, Ryotaro Nakazawa, Shigetaka Komura, Makoto Kano, Daisuke Uno, Manabu Inaba, Takayoshi Ueno, and et al. 2025. "Recent Trends in Prevalence of HPV Infection in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Japan" Microorganisms 13, no. 11: 2514. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112514

APA Style

Liu, L., Hirai, N., Kondo, S., Moriyama-Kita, M., Nakazawa, R., Komura, S., Kano, M., Uno, D., Inaba, M., Ueno, T., Nakanishi, Y., Endo, K., Sugimoto, H., & Yoshizaki, T. (2025). Recent Trends in Prevalence of HPV Infection in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Japan. Microorganisms, 13(11), 2514. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13112514

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