Human papillomavirus infection in 674 Chinese patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: Previous reports suggest a strong association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and the etiology of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). However, clinical data regarding the HPV infection rate among LSCC patients remain largely inconsistent.

Methods: In total, 674 LSCC patients from three major hospitals in Shanghai were enrolled in this study. We determined the patients' HPV infection status using immunohistochemistry and the GenoArray HPV genotyping assay and calculated their long-term survival rate using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: The total P16-positive rate according to immunostaining results was 7.57% (51/674). None of the P16-negative patients were HPV-positive according to the HPV genotyping test. The rate of HPV infection among patients with LSCC was 4.9% (33/674). HPV infection was more common among nonsmokers (P<0.05), nondrinkers (P<0.05), and patients with supraglottic LSCC (P<0.05). Of the 33 HPV-positive patients, 28 (84.8%) were infected with HPV-16, 2 with HPV-18, 1 with HPV-31, 1 with HPV-33 and 1 with HPV-45. The 3-year overall survival rate and progression-free survival rate were higher in HPV-positive than HPV-negative patients, but the difference was not statistically significant (76.3% vs. 70.7%, P = 0.30 and 65.1% vs. 58.3%, P = 0.37, respectively).

Conclusion: HPV was not a main causal factor in LSCC carcinogenesis in this Chinese population. HPV infection did not alter patients' overall survival or progression-free survival rates in this study.