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Updated: May 10, 2026

RNAscope for In situ Detection of Transcriptionally Active Human Papillomavirus in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: March 11, 2014
Highly aggressive human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer: clinical, radiologic, and pathologic
Azeem S Kaka1, Bhavna Kumar, Pawan Kumar
1Department of Otolaryngology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43212, USA. Azeem.kaka@osumc.edu
Objective:
Although the majority of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas have a favorable prognosis, we search for markers of poor prognosis by carefully examining a subset of highly aggressive cases.
Study Design:
Seven patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer who presented with non-pulmonary distant metastasis or developed distant metastasis posttreatment were identified. Eight control cases were chosen which responded well to treatment. Pathologic and radiologic studies were reviewed and compared.
Results:
Two cases displayed a small cell carcinoma (SmCC) component upon pathologic review. Biomarker analysis revealed lower expression of NOTCH1 in the aggressive cohort in comparison to controls (P = .04). Cases showed a predominance of clustering of lymph nodes, extracapsular spread, and central tumor necrosis.
Conclusion:
Although most HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers display a positive prognosis, it is evident that there is a subset, which behaves more aggressively. This early investigation identifies pathologic and radiologic features that may help to predict this behavior.
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07:43Four-color Fluorescence Immunohistochemistry of T-cell Subpopulations in Archival Formalin-fixed, Paraffin-embedded Human Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Samples
Published on: July 29, 2017
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