Original Article

HPV-positive/p16-positive/EBV-negative nasopharyngeal carcinoma in white North Americans†

  1. Jessica H. Maxwell MD, MPH1,2,
  2. Bhavna Kumar MS3,4,
  3. Felix Y. Feng MD5,
  4. Jonathan B. McHugh MD6,
  5. Kitrina G. Cordell DDS6,7,
  6. Avraham Eisbruch MD5,
  7. Francis P. Worden MD8,
  8. Gregory T. Wolf MD2,
  9. Mark E. Prince MD3,
  10. Jeffrey S. Moyer MD3,
  11. Theodoros N. Teknos MD3,4,
  12. Douglas B. Chepeha MD3,
  13. Jay Stoerker PhD9,
  14. Heather Walline MA9,
  15. Thomas E. Carey PhD3,10,*,
  16. Carol R. Bradford MD3

Article first published online: 15 SEP 2009

DOI: 10.1002/hed.21216

Issue

Head & Neck

Head & Neck

Volume 32, Issue 5, pages 562–567, May 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Maxwell, J. H., Kumar, B., Feng, F. Y., McHugh, J. B., Cordell, K. G., Eisbruch, A., Worden, F. P., Wolf, G. T., Prince, M. E., Moyer, J. S., Teknos, T. N., Chepeha, D. B., Stoerker, J., Walline, H., Carey, T. E. and Bradford, C. R. (2010), HPV-positive/p16-positive/EBV-negative nasopharyngeal carcinoma in white North Americans. Head & Neck, 32: 562–567. doi: 10.1002/hed.21216

Author Information

  1. 1

    University of Michigan Medical School, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  2. 2

    Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

  3. 3

    Departments of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  4. 4

    Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

  5. 5

    Radiation Oncology, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  6. 6

    Pathology, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  7. 7

    Periodontics and Oral Medicine, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  8. 8

    Internal Medicine, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  9. 9

    SensiGen, LLC, Ann Arbor, MI; Sequenom, Inc, San Diego, CA

  10. 10

    Pharmacology, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

*Departments of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Michigan Health System and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI

  1. †

    The authors Jay Stoerker, Heather Walline, and Thomas E. Carey have a conflict of interest. Jay Stoerker and Heather Walline are employed with the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine; Thomas E. Carey serves as the member of the Sequenom Clinical Advisory Board and presented some of the work to a group of Sequenom officials and other researchers and received a honorarium of $1000 and reimbursement for travel.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 8 APR 2010
  2. Article first published online: 15 SEP 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 17 JUN 2009
  4. Manuscript Revised: 13 MAY 2009
  5. Manuscript Received: 22 JAN 2009

Funded by

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) NIDCR. Grant Number: R01 DE13346
  • NIH NIDCD. Grant Number: P30 DC 05188
  • NIH National Cancer Institute. Grant Number: R01 CA83087
  • NIH-NCI NIDCR. Grant Number: P50 CA97248
  • NCI National Cancer Center. Grant Numbers: P30 CA46592, MEDC-410

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Keywords:

  • nasopharyngeal carcinoma;
  • human papillomavirus;
  • Epstein-Barr virus;
  • white North Americans

Abstract

Background

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been detected in keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs); however, the relationship between HPV and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) among whites with nonkeratinizing NPCs remains unclear. The HPV, p16, and EBV status was examined in current University of Michigan patients with NPC.

Methods

From 2003 to 2007, 89 patients, 84 with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and 5 with NPC, were enrolled in an organ-sparing trial. Biopsy tissues from all 89 patients were evaluated for HPV and p16 expression. A separate HPV analysis of the 84 OPC patients is in progress. Among the patients with NPC, tumor tissue was also analyzed for EBV-encoded RNA (EBER).

Results

Five of 89 patients (5.6%) had NPC, all with nonkeratinizing histology. The 4 white patients with NPC were HPV(+) (subtype-16, subtype-18 [2 patients], and subtype-59)/p16(+)/EBER(-). One Asian patient with NPC had an HPV(-)/p16(-)/EBER(+) NPC tumor that developed distant metastases.

Conclusion

We postulate that HPV may be the etiologic factor in some EBV-negative, nonkeratinizing NPCs among whites. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2010

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