PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - HOFFMANN, MARKUS
AU  - ORLAMÜNDER, ANTJE
AU  - SUCHER, JAN
AU  - GOTTSCHLICH, STEFAN
AU  - GÖRÖGH, TIBOR
AU  - FAZEL, ASITA
AU  - AMBROSCH, PETRA
AU  - RITTGEN, WERNER
AU  - SCHWARZ, ELISABETH
AU  - KAHN, TOMAS
TI  - HPV16 DNA in Histologically Confirmed Tumour-free Neck Lymph Nodes of Head and Neck Cancers
DP  - 2006 Jan 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 663--670
VI  - 26
IP  - 1B
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/26/1B/663.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/26/1B/663.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2006 Jan 01; 26
AB  - Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been demonstrated in lymph node neck metastases (NM) of HPV-positive squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC), underscoring the possible role of HPV for HNSCC progression. Reports on HPV infections in histopathologically tumour-free lymph-nodes of the SCC of the uterine cervix developing higher rates of lymph-node metastases and recurrences later in the survey of the patients was the starting point of the present study. Materials and Methods: The presence of HPV-DNA in primary tumours (PT, n=45), NM (n=45) and histologically confirmed tumour-free neck lymph-nodes (LN, n=102) of HNSCC from 60 patients was analysed by PCR and Southern blot hybridisation. Results: A highly positive correlation of simultaneous HPV-DNA detection in PT and NM was demonstrated. In the case of HPV-positivity of PT and/or NM [24/60 cases (40%)], 11/24 (45.8%) LN contained HPV-DNA, as well. Accepting HPV demonstration as a marker for the presence of micro-metastasis, HPV analysis would result in an upstaging of the N category in 4 out of these 11 patients. Conclusion: Considering the high agreement of HPV-DNA detection in PT and simultaneous HPV-DNA demonstration in the draining NM corroborating the monoclonal character of the tumour cells, the HPV-DNA presence in LN seems to be indicative of micro-metastasis in these lymph nodes. Thus, HPV analysis might be another powerful tool for the definition of the N-status of HPV-positive HNSCC. Copyright© 2006 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved