Human Papillomavirus-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer: Clinical and Radiologic Characteristics

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Rising incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), now exceeding HPV-negative cases.
• HPV-positive OPC presents unique clinical characteristics, demographics, and prognostic implications compared to HPV-negative OPC.
• Radiologic evaluation is essential for staging, HPV status prediction, and assessing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize key clinical features of HPV-positive OPC for radiologists.
• To provide an overview of radiologic characteristics of HPV-positive OPC.
• To emphasize the role of imaging in diagnosis, staging, treatment response assessment, and outcome prediction.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on HPV-positive OPC.
• Analysis of radiologic features and their correlation with clinical outcomes.
• Integration of radiomics for enhanced tumor characterization.

Main Results:

• HPV-positive OPC occurs more frequently in younger, sexually active individuals.
• HPV-positive OPC generally demonstrates more favorable outcomes.
• Radiomics offers advanced capabilities for tumor characterization in HPV-positive OPC.

Conclusions:

• Radiologists must be familiar with the distinct clinical and radiologic features of HPV-positive OPC.
• Advanced imaging techniques, including radiomics, are crucial for optimizing patient management.
• Accurate radiologic assessment aids in diagnosis, staging, and predicting treatment response and prognosis.