A combination of P16 immunohistochemistry and DNA qPCR to test for viral E6 can accurately determine a form of head and neck cancer (HNC) that is derive from human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16), according to a new study in Clinical Cancer Research (October 1, 2011).
The study has clinical applications for clinical trials regarding therapy based on HPV status, according to lead researcher Andrew Schache, DDS, MD, a research fellow and surgeon at the University of Liverpool.
The growing number of HPV-related cancers has given rise to a number of diagnostic tests, but the evaluation of these tests has lagged behind, Dr. Schache said.
Dr. Schache and colleagues evaluated eight possible combinations of known diagnostic tests on 108 cases of HPV16-derived oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, using viral gene expression as the standard marker.
Viral gene expression has 100% specificity and sensitivity, but Dr. Schache noted that it requires very high-quality tissue that is often not available. After evaluating the tests, they found that a combination of DNA qPCR and P16 immunohistochemistry had 97% percent sensitivity and 94% specificity.
Both of these assays are commercially available in proprietary and generic forms, Dr. Schache said, so the combination test could be administered.
The correct diagnosis is extremely important because cases like this may receive less aggressive therapy based on a positive test, he said.
