Abstract

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPV) are the causal agents of an important subset of oropharyngeal cancers that has increased considerably in incidence in recent years. In this study, we evaluated the presence of HPV in 49 oropharyngeal cancers from Chilean subjects. The presence of HPV DNA was analyzed by conventional PCR, the genotypes were identified through sequencing, and the expression of E6/E7 transcripts was evaluated by a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Additionally, to determine p16 expression—a surrogate marker for oncogenic HPV infection—a tissue array was constructed for immunohistochemistry (IHC). HPV was detected in 61.2% of oropharyngeal carcinomas, the most prevalent genotype being HPV16 (80%). E6 and E7 transcripts were detected in 91.6% and 79.1% of the HPV16-positive specimens, respectively, demonstrating functional HPV infections. Furthermore, p16 expression was positive in 58.3% of cases. These findings show a high prevalence of HR-HPV in oropharyngeal tumors from Chile, suggesting the necessity of additional studies to address this growing public health concern.