Human Papillomavirus Associated with Papillary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx in a Renal Transplant Recipient

Papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the palatine tonsil: a rare cancer of the head and neck

Papillary squamous neoplasms of the upper respiratory tract are rare variants of squamous cell carcinomas. They are characterised by an exophytic, papillary growth and generally have favourable prognosis. The tumour has been described in the upper aerodigestive tract. In this context, most common sites of involvement are the larynx and hypopharynx, and rarely the oral cavity and oropharynx. The limited studies and small number of published cases of papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the palatine tonsil led us to make a complete analysis of this tumour by analysing the clinical, histological, radiological, virological and therapeutic aspects that are not always present in the literature. A case of papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the palatine tonsil is reported. The lesion (T2N0M0) was located into the left palatine tonsil that hung towards the oral cavity. Both HPV 16 DNA and E6/E7 mRNA were detected in the lesion. The clinicopathological profile of the neoplasm is presented and a comprehensive review of recent literature was made by analysing all aspects of interest of this neoplasm.

Human papillomavirus infection and papillary squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck region

Papillary squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a rare variant of SCC in the head and neck region. The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in PSCC is still unclear. We retrospectively reviewed 11 PSCCs in our institute over a 21-year period and compared the HPV status of PSCCs with 26 squamous cell papillomas (SCPs). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification to detect HPV DNA and in situ hybridization (ISH) were performed to analyze the relationship between the papillary lesions and HPV infection. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for p16 protein expression was used to analyze the PSCC specimens. Nine of 11 (82 %), eight of 11 (73 %), and eight of 11 (73 %) PSCC samples were found to be HPV positive by PCR, ISH, and IHC staining for p16 protein expression, respectively. PSCC had a significantly higher rate of HPV infection than SCP by PCR (p = 0.002) and ISH (p = 0.001) analysis. This study presents different HPV status in two papillary neoplasms and may help to clarify the unique morphological and biological characteristics of head and neck PSCC.

Review article: relationship of human papillomavirus with papillary squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract: a review

The purpose of this review is to evaluate case reports of papillary squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) to assess its relationship with human papillomavirus (HPV). The medical literature was searched for case reports of this condition. A total of 115 cases of PSCC were found that described the condition in sufficient detail. HPV detection was performed in only 22 of the 115 cases of PSCC (19%), and 11 of the 22 cases (50%) are related to this virus. The majority of cases related to HPV are produced by low-risk HPV type 6 followed by high-risk HPV type 16. Today, the association of HPV with PSCCs seems unclear because in the majority of patients tests were not performed for the detection of the HPV. This association should be clearly established to make a correct diagnosis and propose the best therapeutic strategies, such as new vaccines.