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©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Oct 10, 2014; 5(4): 781-791
Published online Oct 10, 2014. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v5.i4.781
Published online Oct 10, 2014. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v5.i4.781
Clinical and scientific impact of human papillomavirus on head and neck cancer
Jeffrey M Friedman, Mark J Stavas, Anthony J Cmelak, Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, United States
Author contributions: All authors contributed to this work.
Correspondence to: Anthony J Cmelak, MD, Professor of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Preston Research Building, B-1003, Nashville, TN 37232-5671, United States. anthony.cmelak@vanderbilt.edu
Telephone: +1-615-3222555 Fax: +1-615-3436589
Received: December 25, 2013
Revised: April 21, 2014
Accepted: May 15, 2014
Published online: October 10, 2014
Processing time: 219 Days and 12.2 Hours
Revised: April 21, 2014
Accepted: May 15, 2014
Published online: October 10, 2014
Processing time: 219 Days and 12.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the fifth most common cancer, and historically, in the developed world, was associated with tobacco and alcohol. However, beginning in 1983, investigators have found a growing proportion of HNSCC patients with human papillomavirus-positive (HPV) tumors who neither drank nor used tobacco. HPV has shifted the epidemiology and prognosis of HNSCC and HPV status is the strongest positive prognostic marker in patients with oropharyngeal SCC. This review will highlight the epidemiological, clinical and molecular discoveries surrounding HPV-related HNSCC over the recent decades and how these findings will guide future treatment approaches.