School of Infection & Immunity

Research involving Centre for Virus Research (CVR) scientists has discovered that details of infection levels in human papillomavirus-positive oropharyngeal cancers could be used to inform treatment options.

A component of cancers that arise in the back of the throat - oropharyngeal cancers - are associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV).

Incidence of these cancers has been rising over the last two decades, particularly in men. Often these cancers are difficult to diagnose early, meaning that patients often come to clinics with advanced disease.

However, individuals with HPV-positive cancers tend to have better clinical responses than those compared to negative cancers.

The collaboration between researchers from the CVR, NHS Lothian, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the University of Strathclyde, and Sussex Cancer Centre discovered that the amount of HPV virus in the tumour, or 'viral load', may be an important indicator in predicting disease outcomes.

They found that people with high levels of the virus in their cancers showed improved outcomes compared to those with lower levels of the virus.

Although further research is needed, the work suggests that assessment of viral load could be used in future to optimise disease management strategies.

Sheila Graham, Professor of Molecular Virology at the CVR, said: “This study arose from close bioclinical collaborations within the Scottish HPV Investigators’ Network (SHINe).

"Although further studies are required, our results suggest that details of infection levels in human papillomavirus-positive oropharyngeal cancers could be used to indicate or inform treatment options in the clinic.”

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Droplet digital PCR quantification suggests that higher viral load correlates with improved survival in HPV-positive oropharyngeal tumours

• A.Stevenson, K.Wakeham, J.Pan, K.Kavanagh, D.Millan, S.Bell, D.McLellan, S.V.Graham. 20 Jun 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104505

First published: 6 July 2020