Is p16 an adequate surrogate for human papillomavirus status determination?

In head and neck cancer management, immunoexpression of protein p16 is widely used as a surrogate marker for human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity due to challenges of direct HPV testing. Previously p16 has been reported to have good sensitivity but only moderate specificity in HPV-status determination.

Is HPV the same as p16?

Among over 100 different HPV types, HPV-16 and HPV-18 are detected in the majority of HPV-positive SCCHNs. The p16 gene is often mutated in SCCHN, its overexpression is caused by the viral E7 protein. Consequently, p16 is assumed to be an indirect marker of HPV-induced SCCHN.

How does HPV affect p16?

In the presence of transcriptionally active HPV, hypophosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (pRb) bind to the HPV oncoprotein E7, allowing the transcriptional activator E2F to be constitutionally active while effectively stopping the negative feedback of free pRb on p16. Overexpression of p16 ensues.

What is p16 a marker for?

p16 is a widely used immunohistochemical marker in gynecologic pathology. Strong and diffuse cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of p16 in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the female genital tract is strongly associated with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and neoplasms of cervical origin.

Does p16 positive mean HPV positive?

Abstract. Expression of p16INK4A (p16 positive) is highly correlated with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), however, p16-positivity is not limited to HPV positive tumors and therefore, not a perfect surrogate for HPV.

What is p16 immunohistochemistry?

p16INK4A (henceforth referred to as p16) immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a good surrogate test for the presence of a potentially transforming human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in anogenital carcinomas and premalignant lesions1. • p16 is a 16 kDa protein encoded by CDKN2A, within the INK4/ARF tumour.

Can you be p16 positive and HPV negative?

In fact, studies have shown that approximately 15% to 20% of p16 positive oropharyngeal SCC cases are HPV ISH negative.

What is p16 ImmunoHistoChemistry?

Is the p16 protein a surrogate marker for HPV infection in HNSCC?

The expression of the p16 protein has been used as a surrogate marker for HPV infection in HNSCC (12). The relevance of HPV infection in cervical cancer and HNSCC is well-known.

Is p16 3+ staining an alternative test to HPV PCR?

p16 3+ staining correlates with HPV PCR positivity. p16 IHC is a technically simple and widely available test, and this study establishes the use of p16 IHC as an alternative test to HPV PCR. Given the clinical significance of HPV in oral squamous carcinoma, p16 IHC should be performed in all cases …

Which hpv-16e6 cases are histopathologically determined as squamous cell carcinoma?

Finally, only the HPV-16E6 DNA- and mRNA-positive case (Case 1) was histopathologically determined as BSCC, which is a rare variant of OSCC. The other cases (Case 3 and 10) were determined to be keratinized squamous cell carcinomas. Open in a separate window Figure 2. Expression of HPV-16E6 mRNA in p16 positive OSCC cases.

What is the prevalence of human papillomavirus 16E6 (hpv-16e6) infection?

HPV-16E6 mRNA expression level was only detected in one case (1%), and positive expression of p16 was found in 10 cases (10%), including an HPV-positive case. Subsequently, the association between p16 expression level and clinicopathological characteristic factors were analyzed; however, no significant association was found.