Absolute Risk of Oropharyngeal Cancer After an HPV16-E6 Serology Test and Potential Implications for Screening: Results From the Human Papillomavirus Cancer Cohort Consortium

Hilary A. Robbins, Aida Ferreiro-Iglesias, Tim Waterboer, Nicole Brenner, Mari Nygard, Noemi Bender, Lea Schroeder, Allan Hildesheim, Michael Pawlita, Gypsyamber D'souza, Kala Visvanathan, Hilde Langseth, Nicolas F. Schlecht, Lesley F. Tinker, Ilir Agalliu, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Eivind Ness-Jensen, Kristian Hveem, Sara Grioni, Rudolf KaaksMaria Jose Sánchez, Elisabete Weiderpass, Graham G. Giles, Roger L. Milne, Qiuyin Cai, William J. Blot, Wei Zheng, Stephanie J. Weinstein, Demetrius Albanes, Wen Yi Huang, Neal D. Freedman, Aimée R. Kreimer, Mattias Johansson, Paul Brennan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

PURPOSESeropositivity for the HPV16-E6 oncoprotein is a promising marker for early detection of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), but the absolute risk of OPC after a positive or negative test is unknown.METHODSWe constructed an OPC risk prediction model that integrates (1) relative odds of OPC for HPV16-E6 serostatus and cigarette smoking from the human papillomavirus (HPV) Cancer Cohort Consortium (HPVC3), (2) US population risk factor data from the National Health Interview Survey, and (3) US sex-specific population rates of OPC and mortality.RESULTSThe nine HPVC3 cohorts included 365 participants with OPC with up to 10 years between blood draw and diagnosis and 5,794 controls. The estimated 10-year OPC risk for HPV16-E6 seropositive males at age 50 years was 17.4% (95% CI, 12.4 to 28.6) and at age 60 years was 27.1% (95% CI, 19.2 to 45.4). Corresponding 5-year risk estimates were 7.3% and 14.4%, respectively. For HPV16-E6 seropositive females, 10-year risk estimates were 3.6% (95% CI, 2.5 to 5.9) at age 50 years and 5.5% (95% CI, 3.8 to 9.2) at age 60 years and 5-year risk estimates were 1.5% and 2.7%, respectively. Over 30 years, after a seropositive result at age 50 years, an estimated 49.9% of males and 13.3% of females would develop OPC. By contrast, 10-year risks among HPV16-E6 seronegative people were very low, ranging from 0.01% to 0.25% depending on age, sex, and smoking status.CONCLUSIONWe estimate that a substantial proportion of HPV16-E6 seropositive individuals will develop OPC, with 10-year risks of 17%-27% for males and 4%-6% for females age 50-60 years in the United States. This high level of risk may warrant periodic, minimally invasive surveillance after a positive HPV16-E6 serology test, particularly for males in high-incidence regions. However, an appropriate clinical protocol for surveillance remains to be established.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numberJCO.21.01785
JournalJournal of Clinical Oncology
Volume2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Absolute Risk of Oropharyngeal Cancer After an HPV16-E6 Serology Test and Potential Implications for Screening: Results From the Human Papillomavirus Cancer Cohort Consortium'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this