Ricerca HPV nel cavo orale dei pazienti e partner di pazienti affetti da condilomi genitali: valutazione di fattori di rischio, test di screening, correlazione genotipica.

Introduction: Head and neck carcinomas are a common condition in several areas of the world, with 900,000 cases and over 400,000 deaths annually worldwide. Epidemiological studies have shown a decrease in the incidence of laryngeal, hypopharyngeal, and oral cavity tumors since the late 1980s, primarily attributed to the reduction in smoking, which is the main risk factor. Despite the decrease in tobacco consumption, the incidence of oropharyngeal carcinoma initially remained stable before increasing, especially among young males in high socioeconomic countries. Various evidence has linked the rise in oropharyngeal tumors to HPV-related cancers occurring at the base of the tongue and in the tonsillar region. This association is mainly due to HPV-16, one of the high-risk oncogenic types. According to numerous cohort studies, HPV is associated with 70-80% of oropharyngeal carcinoma cases in Europe and North America. The latency period between exposure to the virus and the development of carcinoma exceeds a decade. Oral HPV infection is detectable in most patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma, but the incidence of such infection does not appear to be increased in long-term sexual partners compared to the general population. In the general population, a cross-sectional study of males and females aged 14 to 69 years found an overall prevalence of HPV DNA in exfoliated oral cells of 6.9%, with a prevalence of HPV-16 of 1%. The prevalence was about three times higher in males compared to females (10.1% vs. 3.6%), consistent with the sex distribution observed for HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. Currently, there are no effective screening methods for HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma. Objectives: The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the presence of HPV in the oral cavity of partners of patients with genital warts and any concordance between the detected genotypes. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the presence of HPV in the oral cavity of patients with genital warts and any concordance between the detected genotypes, as well as to assess any risk factors associated with the presence of HPV in the oral cavity of patients and their partners, such as epidemiological variables, risk factors for oral cavity carcinoma, and sexual habits. Materials and Methods: All patients referred to the sexually transmitted diseases center of the Dermatology Unit of the University Clinics of Sassari from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2023, were evaluated. All patients with clinically suspicious lesions for genital warts were proposed for enrollment in the study. After obtaining informed consent from the patient or legal guardian, a questionnaire on demographic and anamnesis data and lifestyle habits was administered. The clinical diagnosis of genital warts was histologically confirmed in patients who consented to skin biopsy. PCR for HPV genotyping was performed on tissue samples from lesions in patients who underwent skin biopsy; for patients who did not consent to skin biopsy, PCR for HPV detection and genotyping was performed on a cytobrush taken from the wart lesions. A clinical examination of the oropharyngeal mucosa was performed on each patient to identify any clinically suspicious lesions for oral warts, followed by cytobrush sampling from high-risk areas for HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma, such as the tonsils, base of the tongue, and uvula, for HPV detection and possible genotyping through PCR. If enrolled patients had a partner, a clinical evaluation of the partner was requested to check for genital, anal, or oral lesions compatible with warts. Partners who consented to the research underwent an initial clinical evaluation for genital, anal, or oral lesions compatible with HPV, followed by an oral cytobrush sample for PCR and possible HPV genotyping.

Introduction: Head and neck carcinomas are a common condition in several areas of the world. The incidence of oropharyngeal carcinoma increased among young males in high socioeconomic countries. Various evidence has linked the rise in oropharyngeal tumors to HPV-related cancers occurring at the base of the tongue and in the tonsillar region. Currently, there are no effective screening methods for HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma. Objectives: The objective of the study is to evaluate the presence of HPV in the oral cavity of partners of patients with genital warts and any concordance between the detected genotypes. Materials and Methods: All patients referred to the sexually transmitted diseases center of the Dermatology Unit of the University Clinics of Sassari from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2023, were evaluated. All patients with clinically suspicious lesions for genital warts were proposed for enrollment in the study. PCR for HPV genotyping was performed on tissue samples. Partners of enrolled patients had an oral cytobrush sample for PCR and HPV genotyping performed. Results: Of the 22 patients enrolled in the study, 13 had a partner who also consented to participate. Overall, there were 16 (72.7%) males and 6 (27.3%) females. In all partners of the patients, the search for HPV from the oral cavity using a brush yielded negative results. Conclusions: Fast and effective screening methods to identify populations with oral HPV presence could select a limited group of patients for ENT visits to identify this neoplasm early. The reasons why it was not possible to detect HPV from the oral cavity may be due to various factors, such as incorrect sampling methods for HPV detection, errors in sampling and sample preservation, and a limited number of samples