Salivary HPV Persistence Following Treatment of Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Alexandra E QuimbyPagona LagiouBibiana PurginaMartin CorstenStephanie Johnson-ObasekiPublished in: The Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology (2021)
This study is the first to demonstrate the prevalence of persistent oncogenic HPV DNA in saliva following treatment for HPV + OPSCC. This prevalence appears to be low, despite the fact that persistent HPV infection is a precursor for the development of HPV + OPSCC. This finding raises questions about what factors influence the clearance or persistence of HPV DNA in saliva after treatment for HPV + OPSCC, and may add to our understanding about the longitudinal effects of HPV infection in these cancers.