HPV, p16 and p53 As Indicators of Response to Survival in Larynx Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract Purpose: To analyze the relationship between the prognosis of patients with larynx squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, p16 and p53 protein expression. Methods: All patients were treated at the department of radiation oncology, Anhui provincial hospital, between May 2005 and May 2012. The 41 consecutive patients with LSCC were treated surgically and received postoperative radiotherapy. Analyses of pathology specimen were surgically removed and performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples. HPV DNA sequences in tumor tissues were screened by a commercial Luminex technique for HPVs and HPV-specific PCR assays. P16 and p53 protein expression were detected by immunohistochemical staining. Overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS)for HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients, p16-positive and p16-negative patients, p53-positive and p53-negative patients were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: HPV-DNA was detected in 4(9.7%)of all specimens. Among them, 3 were positive for HPV-56,1 for HPV-16. With the follow-up of 3-78 months(a median of 34 months),patients with HPV-positive tumors had better overall survival than patients with HPV-positive tumors(75% vs 61%, P>0.05). Multivariate analysis by Cox regression model showed that nodal status was independent prognostic factors for patients with LSCC(P<0.05). Conclusions: HPV status is not an independent prognostic factor. Nodal status was independent prognostic factors for patients with LSCC.