Frequency of Human Papillomavirus Genotypes in Head and Neck Epithelial Cancers in the Ear, Throat, and Nose Department of Shafa Hospital, Kerman, Iran in 2017

Human papillomavirus virus (HPV) plays an important role in some human malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, it is necessary to evaluate the role of carcinogenic agents in local settings as well. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the frequency of HPV genotypes in head and neck epithelial cancers. In this case-control study, 202 patients with suspected carcinoma referred to Shafa Hospital (Kerman, Iran, 2017) for pathological evaluation were enrolled. A definitive diagnosis of carcinoma was reported for 101 patients (case group) and in the other 101 subjects, carcinoma was not diagnosed. In order to determine the presence and type of HPV in tissue samples, the PCR method was used. Data analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test, independent t-test, and logistic regression.  In total, 27 head and neck SCC samples (26.7%) were positive for HPV DNA. In addition, the virus species were HPV-11 in 15 cases (14.9%), HPV-16 and HPV-18 in 12 cases (11.9%), and HPV-6 in 10 cases (9.9%). According to the results, the presence of HPV was significantly higher in patients with SCC (P < 0.001). Moreover, smoking (P = 0.03) and opioid use (P < 0.001) were also significantly associated with SCC. The results of the present study demonstrated the presence of HPV in tissue samples of head and neck SCC patients in Kerman, Iran. Further studies are needed to investigate the preventive role of HPV vaccination in head and neck SCC.