Periodontitus Linked with Risk for HPV+ Head & Neck Cancers

katenorwood said:

Interesting !
Hello NW DINO !
I have heard of heart issues related to this...but never cancer. I would be interested in reading the article. I don't have a dx with HPV, but did have major problems goin on with my teeth. I had them all pulled before my resect., so that I could do rads. I had a phobia of the dentist chair ! And when I went in for my first molding for dentures, the darn drill went off as I was sitting in the chair. Man oh man did I jump ! Darn near ran out of there ! Please update us with the site for this article, and thank you ! Katie

Link to article
http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspx?sec=sup_n&sub=orc&pag=dis&itemId=310841

http://archotol.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1182803


Objective To determine whether periodontitis is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) status of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Design and Setting Hospital-based case-control study in a comprehensive cancer center.

Patients Evaluation included all patients diagnosed with incident primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx between 1999 and 2007 for whom tissue samples and dental records were available (N = 124). Patients younger than 21 years and those with a history of cancer were excluded. Periodontitis history was assessed by alveolar bone loss in millimeters from panoramic radiographs by one examiner blinded to cancer status.

Main Outcome Measure The presence of HPV-16 DNA in paraffin-embedded tumor samples was identified by polymerase chain reaction.

Results The prevalence of HPV-positive HNSCC was 50 of 124 patients (40.3%). A higher proportion of oropharyngeal cancers were HPV-positive (32 of 49 [65.3%]) compared with oral cavity (9 of 31 [29.0%]) and laryngeal (9 of 44 [20.5%]) cancers. Each millimeter of alveolar bone loss was associated with 2.6 times increased odds (odds ratio [OR], 2.61; 95% CI, 1.58-4.30) of HPV-positive tumor status after adjustment for age at diagnosis, sex, and smoking status. The strength of the association was greater among patients with oropharyngeal SCC (OR, 11.70; 95% CI, 2.09-65.53) compared with those with oral cavity SCC (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 0.65-8.27) and laryngeal SCC (OR, 3.89; 95% CI, 0.95-15.99).

Conclusions A history of chronic inflammatory disease in the oral cavity may be associated with tumor HPV status in patients with HNSCC. This association seems to be stronger among patients with oropharyngeal cancer compared with those who have oral cavity or laryngeal SCC.