Multiple Oral HPV Infections Sharply Raise Head and Neck Cancer Risk, Study Finds
Canada: A new study from Canada has shed light on the role of multiple oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in the development of head and neck cancer (HNC), emphasizing the potential impact of HPV vaccination in reducing disease risk.
Conducted by Belinda F. Nicolau and colleagues from McGill University, Montreal, the research highlights that co-infection with multiple alpha-HPV types significantly increases the likelihood of developing HNC.
The research, published in the International Journal of Cancer, involved a case–control study of 460 newly diagnosed HNC patients and 458 matched controls recruited from four hospitals in Montreal. Participants underwent in-person interviews to collect comprehensive data on their life-course exposures, while samples from the mouth and tumor sites were tested for alpha-HPV genotypes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The team analyzed patterns of co-infection and assessed whether multiple HPV types acted independently or interacted to influence cancer risk.
The study led to the following findings:
- About one-third of HPV-positive cases (34.8%) and controls (31.2%) carried multiple oral alpha-HPV infections.
- The distribution of co-infecting HPV types differed from what would be expected if the viruses acted independently, suggesting possible cooperative interactions.
- Individuals with multiple oral alpha-HPV infections had over a four-fold increased risk of head and neck cancer (odds ratio 4.66).
- The presence of multiple HPV types may play a significant role in the development and progression of head and neck cancer.
In addition to examining infection patterns, the researchers explored the potential preventive effect of HPV vaccination. By modeling scenarios in which vaccine-targeted HPV genotypes were eliminated, they observed a measurable reduction in HNC risk across the study population. For individuals without vaccine-targeted HPV types, the analysis showed a notable decrease in cancer risk, supporting the idea that vaccination could serve as an effective strategy for HNC prevention.
The study’s findings carry important clinical implications. With the incidence of HPV-related head and neck cancers on the rise in Canada, understanding the impact of multiple oral HPV infections can help guide both screening and prevention strategies. Moreover, the evidence reinforces the value of HPV vaccination beyond its established role in preventing cervical and other anogenital cancers, suggesting it could also contribute to lowering HNC incidence.
Nicolau and colleagues demonstrate that multiple oral alpha-HPV infections are common and significantly elevate the risk of head and neck cancer. Their research further indicates that eliminating vaccine-targeted HPV types through immunization could offer substantial public health benefits, highlighting vaccination as a promising tool in the fight against HNC.
Reference:
Amure, M. T., Madathil, S. A., Laprise, C., Rousseau, C., & Nicolau, B. F. Oral co-infection with multiple alpha-human papillomavirus and head and neck cancer risk. International Journal of Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.70124
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