Local Inflammation and Human Papillomavirus Status of Head and Neck Cancers

Abstract
The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program has reported a steady increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States since 1973 despite the significant decline in tobacco use since 1965.1 Similar trends are observed in other parts of the world, and the underlying reason for this increase is attributed mainly to oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.2,3