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15 June 2022
Head and neck cancer Infections United States of America

Absolute risk of oropharyngeal cancer after an HPV16-E6 serology test and potential implications for screening: results from the Human Papillomavirus Cancer Cohort Consortium

Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions have estimated the risk that an individual will develop oropharyngeal cancer based on their age, their sex, and whether they test positive for a biomarker related to infection with human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16). The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The researchers estimated that the 10-year risk of oropharyngeal cancer for people who test positive for HPV16-E6 is 17–27% for men and 4–6% for women at ages 50–60 years. The estimated 10-year risks after a negative test result were very low, ranging from 0.01% to 0.25% depending on age, sex, and smoking status. The results are applicable to the USA or other contexts with similar rates of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer.

The high risk of oropharyngeal cancer in individuals who test positive for HPV16-E6 may warrant periodic, minimally invasive surveillance, particularly for men, in regions where incidence rates are high enough to warrant such intervention. An important direction for future research is establishing an appropriate protocol for this surveillance, because the incidence of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer is rising and earlier detection could be beneficial. Detection methods could involve evaluation of blood-based biomarkers and imaging techniques.

Robbins HA, Ferreiro-Iglesias A, Waterboer T, Brenner N, Nygard M, Bender N, et al.
Absolute risk of oropharyngeal cancer after an HPV16-E6 serology test and potential implications for screening: results from the Human Papillomavirus Cancer Cohort Consortium
J Clin Oncol, Published online 14 June 2022;
https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.21.01785

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Published in section: IARC News

Publication date: 15 June, 2022, 0:02

Direct link: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/absolute-risk-of-oropharyngeal-cancer-following-an-hpv16-e6-serology-test-results-from-the-hpv-cancer-cohort-consortium/

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