Oropharynx tumors should be tested for HPV

Changes in the 2011 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Head and Neck Cancers Guidelines will refine and improve the treatment of these cancers, according to a presentation this week at the NCCN annual conference on Clinical Practice Guidelines and Quality Cancer Care in Hollywood, FL.

One of the main changes is a recommendation that the workup for cancer of the oropharynx include testing of the tumor for human papillomavirus (HPV) p16, according to a story on Medscape.

The incidence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer has increased noticeably in recent years, the story noted. In one study, conducted in Sweden, researchers found a progressive proportional increase in HPV detected in biopsies taken to diagnose oropharyngeal cancer, from 23.3% in the 1970s to 29% in the 1980s, 57% in the 1990s, 68% in 2000 to 2002, 77% in 2003 to 2205, and 93% in 2006 and 2007 (International Journal of Cancer, July 15, 2009, Vol. 125:2, pp. 362-366).

HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer appears to be "a new and distinct disease entity and is associated with better survival than non-HPV head and neck cancers," David Pfister, MD, chair of the NCCN Head and Neck Cancers Guidelines Committee, told Medscape.

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