Objectives: Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important risk factor for development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Strikingly, HPV-positive HNSCCs have a more favorable prognosis than their HPV-negative counterparts. The current study was designed to explain this favorable prognosis of HPV-positive HNSCC.
Materials and methods: This was performed by investigating the response of four HPV-positive and fourteen HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines to cisplatin, cetuximab and radiation.
Results: Analysis of the responses of this cell line panel indicated that HPV-positive cells are more resistant to cisplatin treatment than the HPV-negative HNSCCs, whereas the response to radiation and cetuximab did not differ.
Conclusions: The current study suggests that the favorable prognosis for patients with HPV-positive HNSCC does not seem to be related to an intrinsic sensitivity of these tumor cells to chemotherapy or radiation in vitro.
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