{"entity": "journal", "iuid": "79e8060176da45cd99f3cef914eb2751", "timestamp": "2026-09-28T00:21:32.253Z", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/journal/Oral%20Oncol.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/journal/Oral%20Oncol"}}, "title": "Oral Oncol", "issn": "1879-0593", "issn-l": null, "publications_count": 1, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "34c471b2d116470d946631b959ecee7e", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/34c471b2d116470d946631b959ecee7e.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/34c471b2d116470d946631b959ecee7e"}}, "title": "Human papillomavirus (HPV) load is higher in HPVDNA/p16 positive than in HPVDNA positive/p16 negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma but does not differ significantly between various subsites or correlate to survival.", "authors": [{"family": "Zupancic", "given": "Mark", "initials": "M"}, {"family": "Kostopoulou", "given": "Ourania N", "initials": "ON"}, {"family": "Holzhauser", "given": "Stefan", "initials": "S"}, {"family": "Lukoseviciute", "given": "Monika", "initials": "M"}, {"family": "Jylh\u00e4", "given": "Cecilia", "initials": "C"}, {"family": "Marklund", "given": "Linda", "initials": "L"}, {"family": "N\u00e4sman", "given": "Anders", "initials": "A"}, {"family": "Sivars", "given": "Lars", "initials": "L"}, {"family": "Dalianis", "given": "Tina", "initials": "T"}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2024-04-00", "journal": {"title": "Oral Oncol", "issn": "1879-0593", "volume": "151", "pages": "106749", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "Patients with human papillomavirus DNA positive (HPVDNA+) and p16ink4a overexpressing (p16+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), especially those with cancer in the tonsillar and base of tongue subsites as compared to other OPSCC subsites have a better outcome than those with only HPVDNA+ or only p16+ cancer. Likewise having a high viral load has been suggested to be a positive prognostic factor. We therefore hypothesized, that HPV viral load could vary depending on OPSCC subsite, as well as with regard to whether the cancer was HPVDNA+ and p16+, or only HPVDNA+, or only p16+ and that this affected outcome.\n\nTo address these issues HPV viral load was determined by HPV digital droplet (dd) PCR in tumor biopsies with previously known HPVDNA/p16 status from 270 OPSCC patients diagnosed 2000-2016 in Stockholm, Sweden. More specifically, of these patients 235 had HPVDNA+/p16+, 10 had HPVDNA+/p16-, 13 had HPVDNA-/p16+ and 12 had HPVDNA-/p16- cancer.\n\nWe found that HPVDNA+/p16+ OPSCC had a significantly higher viral load than HPVDNA+/p16- OPSCC. Moreover, there was a tendency for a higher viral load in the tonsillar and base of tongue OPSCC subsites compared to the other subsites and for a low viral load to correlate to a better clinical outcome but none of these tendencies reached statistical significance.\n\nTo conclude, the mean viral load in HPVDNA+/p16+ OPSCC was higher than in HPVDNA+/p16- OPSCC, but there was no statistically significant difference in viral load depending on OPSCC subsite or on clinical outcome.", "doi": "10.1016/j.oraloncology.2024.106749", "pmid": "38461771", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pii", "key": "S1368-8375(24)00067-8"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-09-23T12:24:19.543Z", "modified": "2026-09-23T12:24:19.594Z"}], "created": "2026-09-23T12:24:19.551Z", "modified": "2026-09-23T12:24:19.551Z"}