Human papillomavirus infection is not associated with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in Taiwan

To examine whether the prevalence rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Taiwanese patients with primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is different from that in those with a vocal polyp (VP) or vocal fold leukoplakia (VFL).

This prospective cohort study recruited 41 consecutive patients with primary LSCC and 27 and 20 patients with VP and VFL, respectively. The HPV L1 gene in surgical specimens was detected using polymerase chain reaction. High-risk HPV DNA in tissue microarray specimens was detected using in situ hybridization. Expression of p16^INK4a in tissue microarray specimens was determined through immunohistochemistry.

The prevalence of HPV L1 DNA in the LSCC group was equivalent to that in the VP and VFL groups (7.3% vs. 7.4% vs. 10.0%; P = 0.929; effect size = 0.20). High-risk HPV DNA detected using in situ hybridization was relatively rare in all groups (2.6% vs. 5.3% vs. 0.0%; P = 0.636; effect size = 0.81). The prevalence of p16^INK4a positivity was significantly lower in the LSCC group than in the VP and VFL groups (5.1% vs. 58.8% vs. 14.3%; P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis results revealed that age ≥65 years (adjusted odds ratio, 4.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-13.91; P = 0.024) and p16^INK4a positivity (adjusted odds ratio, 0.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.53; P = 0.006) were LSCC risk factors.

HPV infection is uncommon in Taiwanese patients with LSCC and seems not to be associated with an increased LSCC risk. Larger sample size is warranted for further study.