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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
Tracking Tumor Cell Dissemination from Lung Metastases Using Photoconversion
Published on: July 7, 2023
Tracking down of laryngo-pharyngeal metastasis
Coralia Bleotu1, Cristian Radu Popescu, Gabriela Anton
1Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, 285 Mihai Bravu, 030304, Bucharest, Romania. cbleotu@yahoo.com
Background:
In Romania, the most optimistic statistics give a 5 years survival rate in approximately 33% of laryngo-pharyngeal cancer patients. Considering that a cell carrying the viral DNA is originating from primary tumor, we have tested whether HPV DNA could be detected in the blood cell of patients with laryngeal cancer as a marker of disease progression and metastases.
Methods:
The study was performed on 85 patients (59 +/- 8.7 age) with laryngo-pharyngeal cancer. HPV DNA was detected in tumor using nested PCR with consensus primers, and also in local lymph nodes and/or blood cells from patients HPV positive in primary tumor.
Results:
HPV DNA was detected in 75.29% of analyzed tumours, and all HPV16 positive samples were confirmed by mRNA E6 expression. 56.3% of patients presented HPV DNA in peripheral circulation as confirmed by PCR with E6 HPV16 specific primers followed by Southern Blot.
Conclusion:
Our results sustain that the detection of HPV DNA in blood is a "surrogate marker" of metastasis when extension of metastasis cannot be estimated, this observation is very important for management of cancer patients with laryngopharyngeal localization.
