Human papillomavirus prevalence in oropharyngeal cancer before vaccine introduction, United States

Emerg Infect Dis. 2014 May;20(5):822-8. doi: 10.3201/eid2005.131311.

Abstract

We conducted a study to determine prevalence of HPV types in oropharyngeal cancers in the United States and establish a prevaccine baseline for monitoring the impact of vaccination. HPV DNA was extracted from tumor tissue samples from patients in whom cancer was diagnosed during 1995-2005. The samples were obtained from cancer registries and Residual Tissue Repository Program sites in the United States. HPV was detected and typed by using PCR reverse line blot assays. Among 557 invasive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas, 72% were positive for HPV and 62% for vaccine types HPV16 or 18. Prevalence of HPV-16/18 was lower in women (53%) than in men (66%), and lower in non-Hispanic Black patients (31%) than in other racial/ethnic groups (68%-80%). Results indicate that vaccines could prevent most oropharyngeal cancers in the United States, but their effect may vary by demographic variables.

Keywords: HPV typing; United States; archived tissue; cancer; human papillomavirus; oropharyngeal; oropharynx; viruses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Alphapapillomavirus / classification*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / epidemiology*
  • Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / prevention & control
  • Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / virology*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / prevention & control
  • Papillomavirus Vaccines
  • Prevalence
  • Public Health Surveillance
  • Registries
  • United States / epidemiology

Substances

  • Papillomavirus Vaccines