Targeted Therapy in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The Implications of HPV for Therapy.

ABSTRACT: Oropharyngeal cancers caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV) have a different epidemiology, prognosis, genetic mutational landscape, response to treatment, and outcome when compared to HPV-negative cancers. In this review, a summary of our current understanding of HPV in head and neck cancer and the important advances that have shown HPV to be an etiological agent are discussed. HPV-positive and HPV-negative tumors are compared discussing clinicopathological factors, prognosis, outcome following treatment, and the molecular and genetic differences. Currently, the standard of care for oropharyngeal cancer is both surgery and post-operative radiotherapy with or without cisplatin or concurrent chemo-radiotherapy. The latter is used more often, especially in cancers of tonsil and base of tongu

SUBMITTER: Hay A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4837939 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature