Papilomavírus humano e carcinoma espinocelular de orofaringe: revisão de literatura

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the human papillomavirus (HPV) was considered an important factor in the development of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma worldwide. Furthermore, the 8th Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) recognized HPV-positive and HPV-negative tumors as distinct entities. The purpose of our study was to carry out a literature review on the clinical and histopathological differences between HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck tumors. Initially, we searched for scientific articles in the PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and Periódicos Capes databases, using the terms oropharyngeal cancer and human papillomavirus OR oropharyngeal cancer and tobacco, in the determined period of 10 years. According to the reviewed studies, it was possible to observe that HPV- positive tumors are more common in young white male patients and were not associated with tobacco. HPV-negative tumors are more common in male patients, at an older age and are associated with tobacco. Histopathologically, HPV-positive tumors appear to be less keratinized than HPV-negative tumors, in addition to being well differentiated and with a more basaloid appearance of malignant cells. Differentiation between HPV- positive and HPV-negative tumors is performed by immunohistochemical staining for the p16 protein. HPV-positive tumors have a better prognosis and survival rate when compared to HPV-negative tumors. It was possible to conclude that the determination of HPV status by immunohistochemical staining for p16 is important in the differentiation of HPV-positive and HPV-negative tumors, with the aim of better defining the treatment and prognosis of patients.