Prevalence of high-risk HPV 16 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its association with SHH, GLI-1, and GLI-2 overexpression : a genotyping study

Abstract EN

The prevalence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is increasing worldwide.

There is considerable evidence for the association of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) genotypes with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

This study aimed to provide an update on HPV type 16 in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and its relationship to SHH, GLI-1, and GLI-2 overexpression.

Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples of histologically confirmed SCC samples were collected from 40 Iraqi patients during 2009–2013.

Screening for the presence of HPV in the samples was performed by PCR using consensus primers for detection of all HPV genotypes.

Positive samples were genotyped using primer-specific PCR for types 16.

Tissue microarray blocks were constructed to study the expression of SHH, GLI-1, and GLI-2 by immunohistochemistry.

Eleven samples were positive for HPV DNA (27 %).

Genotype 16 was detected in eight samples (20 %).

SHH positivity was 78.9 %, GLI-1 positivity was 92.5 %, and GLI-2 positivity was 94.5%.

There was no significant association between tumor grade, patient sex, or age.

In this unique study in Iraq, we detected and typed high-risk HPV genotypes in the context of SHH, GLI-1, and GLI-2 overexpression in OSCC.

Our study showed a distinctive HPV 16 genotype distribution among OSCCs, consistent with previous findings of the increased risk association between HPV 16 and cancers of the head and neck