Surveillance of the frequency and results of testing of incident oropharyngeal cancers for human papillomavirus: the potential role of population-based cancer registries.

Temporal increases in incidence rates for certain cancers of the oropharynx (OP), especially the base of tongue and tonsil (BTT), have been interpreted in relation to the epidemic of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, but data on the actual presence of HPV in these tumors are limited. Data on the frequency and results of testing for HPV in OP cancers in defined populations also can be useful to clinicians. This study used the American Joint Committee on Cancer Collaborative Staging System's Site-Specific Factor 10 (SSF 10) for HPV status of OP tumors, collected by some registries for diagnoses since 2010. The study included 483 incident invasive BTT cancers diagnosed in 2010-2012 and reported to the Connecticut Tumor Registry of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program. Of the 483 cancers, 45.8 percent were reportedly tested for HPV in tumor tissue; the proportion coded as unknown declined from 54.6 percent for 2010 to 34.3 percent for 2012. The 153 cases reported as HPV-positive comprised 69.2 percent of the 221 cases with a known HPV test result, which is consistent with the proportions reported in the literature. Trends (2000-2010) in BTT cancer incidence rates in Connecticut were representative of trends in all 18 SEER registries combined. Similar studies are needed from other US central cancer registries that are collecting or want to start collecting HPV status of OP tumors, along with data on the specific types of HPV testing, for surveillance of the frequency and results of HPV testing of OP cancers.