Abstract
Background
The aim of this study was to examine biomolecular profiles in a cohort of young adults with squamous cell cancers (SCCs) of the oral tongue.
Methods
We identified all patients aged 18 to 39 years diagnosed with SCC of the oral tongue at our institution. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed for p16^INK4a^, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphorylatedโEGFR (pEGFR), p53, and ERCC1. Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing was performed using in situ hybridization (ISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Biomarker expression and HPV status were correlated with outcomes.
Results
We identified 25 patients with sufficient tumor samples. Median age at diagnosis was 30 years (range, 20โ39 years). p16^INK4a^ overexpression was observed in 11 of 25 patients, whereas HPVโ16 positivity was observed in none of the tumor samples by ISH and 2 of the tumor samples by PCR. p16^INK4a^ positivity was correlated with improved relapseโfree survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.23, p = .01) and overall survival (HR = 0.28, p = .05). Neither EGFR, pEGFR, p53, nor excision repair crossโcomplementing rodent repair deficiency, complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression correlated with outcome on univariate analysis.
Conclusions
p16^INK4a^ overexpression was common and was a marker of favorable prognosis. p16^INK4a^ overexpression was not a reliable predictor of HPV positivity in our cohort. ยฉ 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011