The virus known as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the culprit behind cervical and some form of head and neck cancer and a new study carried out by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center claimed it to be pivotal for the prevention of oropharyngeal cancers, i.e. tonsils and tongue cancers. The study also noted that by mid-adulthood, most people have been exposed to HPV. The same strains that are known to cause cervical cancer, mainly HPV 16 and 18, cause head and neck cancers too.
The study stated that only about five percent of HPV-infected people will develop cancer of the mouth or throat, suggesting most people's immune systems can easily hold back HPV infections. Associate professor of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery at URMC, Matthew Miller, M.D., found HPV encased in biofilm inside pockets on the tonsil surface, called tonsil crypts, which is where the HPV-related head and neck cancers often originate from.
Researchers believe that HPV is shed from the tonsil during an active infection and gets trapped in the biofilm, where it may be protected from immune attack. In the crypts, the virus likely lays in wait for an opportunity to reinstate infection or invade the tonsil tissue to develop cancer. "Given the lack of universal HPV immunization and the potential for the virus to evade the immune system even in individuals with detectable HPV in their blood, our findings could have far-reaching implications for identifying people at risk of developing HPV-related head and neck cancers and ultimately preventing them," Miller said.
The next step would be to develop topical antimicrobials that would help disrupt the biofilm and allow the immune system to clear the virus.
