The Usability of p16 Immunohistochemical Staining as a Screening Test of Human Papillomavirus Infection in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background and Objectives : Although human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been recognized as having an important role in the pathogenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), there is no simple and reliable screening test of HPV infection in HNSCC to date. In the present study, we investigated the usability of p16 immunohistochemical staining as a screening test for HPV infection in HNSCC. Subjects and Method : Paraffin blocks were obtained from 45 tonsil SCC patients, who underwent surgery as an initial treatment between 1995 and 2004. Paraffin blocks were also obtained from 20 normal controls. Expression of p16 was investigated immunohistochemically and these results were compared with results of HPV genotyping and the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay of viral oncoprotein to validate p16 staining as a reliable diagnostic tool of HPV infection. Results : The expression of p16 was found to be significantly different between tonsil SCC (32/45, 71.1%) and normal control tissues (0/20, 0%)(p