Human Papillomavirus Infection as a Risk Factor for Squamous-Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Abstract

Mork et al. (April 12 issue)¹ suggest that infection with human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) may be a risk factor for squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Other studies have shown that rates of HPV infection are higher in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection than in the healthy population² and that the incidence of anogenital cancer is increased in people with HIV infection or AIDS. An increased incidence of squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck and other possible HPV-associated cancers, such as esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma, might also be expected in patients with HIV infection or AIDS. However, no such finding has been reported,³ which suggests that HPV-16 infection (recognized by seropositivity for HPV-16) is not necessarily related to the development of squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Anti-HPV antibodies might simply be the sign of an infection that had been eradicated long before the cancer began to evolve.