Comparison of detection methods for HPV status as a prognostic marker for loco-regional control after radiochemotherapy in patients with HNSCC

Linge, Annett; Schötz, Ulrike; Löck, Steffen; Lohaus, Fabian; Neubeck, Claere von; Gudziol, Volker; Nowak, Alexander; Tinhofer, Inge; Budach, Volker; Sak, Ali; Stuschke, Martin; Balermpas, Panagiotis; Rödel, Claus; Bunea, Hatice; Grosu, Anca-Ligia; Abdollahi, Amir; Debus, Jürgen; Ganswindt, Ute; Lauber, Kirsten; Pigorsch, Steffi; Combs, Stephanie E.; Mönnich, David; Zips, Daniel; Baretton, Gustavo B.; Buchholz, Frank; Krause, Mechthild; Belka, Claus und Baumann, Michael (2018): Comparison of detection methods for HPV status as a prognostic marker for loco-regional control after radiochemotherapy in patients with HNSCC. In: Radiotherapy and Oncology, Bd. 127, Nr. 1: S. 27-35

Abstract

Objective: To compare six HPV detection methods in pre-treatment FFPE tumour samples from patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who received postoperative (N = 175) or primary (N = 90) radiochemotherapy. Materials and methods: HPV analyses included detection of (i) HPV16 E6/E7 RNA, (ii) HPV16 DNA (PCRbased arrays, A-PCR), (iii) HPV DNA (GP5+/GP6+ qPCR, (GP-PCR)), (iv) p16 (immunohistochemistry, p16 IHC), (v) combining p16 IHC and the A-PCR result and (vi) combining p16 IHC and the GP-PCR result. Differences between HPV positive and negative subgroups were evaluated for the primary endpoint loco-regional control (LRC) using Cox regression. Results: Correlation between the HPV detection methods was high (chi-squared test, p < 0.001). While p16 IHC analysis resulted in several false positive classifications, A-PCR, GP-PCR and the combination of p16 IHC and A-PCR or GP-PCR led to results comparable to RNA analysis. In both cohorts, Cox regression analyses revealed significantly prolonged LRC for patients with HPV positive tumours irrespective of the detection method. Conclusions: The most stringent classification was obtained by detection of HPV-16 RNA, or combining p16 IHC with A-PCR or GP-PCR. This approach revealed the lowest rate of recurrence in patients with tumours classified as HPV positive and therefore appears most suited for patient stratification in HPVbased clinical studies.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 0167-8140
• Sprache: Englisch