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The Sinonasal Tract: Another Potential “Hot Spot” for Carcinomas with Transcriptionally-Active Human Papillomavirus

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Abstract

While high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is well established as causative and clinically important for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oropharynx, its role in non-oropharyngeal head and neck SCC is much less clearly elucidated. In the sinonasal region, in particular, although it is a relatively uncommon site for SCC, as many as 20 % of SCC harbor transcriptionally-active high risk HPV. These tumors almost always have a nonkeratinizing morphology and may have a better prognosis. In addition, specific variants of SCC as well as other rare carcinoma types, when arising in the sinonasal tract, can harbor transcriptionally-active HPV. This article reviews the current literature on HPV in sinonasal carcinomas, attempts to more clearly demonstrate what tumors have it and how this relates to possible precursor lesions like inverted papilloma, and discusses the possible clinical ramifications of the presence of the virus.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no financial or other conflicts of interest to report.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Pathology and Immunology and Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    James S. Lewis Jr.

  2. Departments of Pathology and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA

    William H. Westra

  3. Department of Pathology, Woodland Hills Medical Center, Woodland Hills, CA, USA

    Lester D. R. Thompson

  4. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Leon Barnes

  5. Department of Anatomic Pathology, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Antonio Cardesa

  6. Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Jennifer L. Hunt

  7. Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Michelle D. Williams

  8. Department of Pathology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Pieter J. Slootweg

  9. Oral Pathology, School of Dental Sciences and Dental Hospital, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Asterios Triantafyllou & Julia A. Woolgar

  10. Department of Pathology, Allegiance Health, Jackson, MI, USA

    Kenneth O. Devaney

  11. ENT Clinic, University of Udine, Udine, Italy

    Alessandra Rinaldo & Alfio Ferlito

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  1. James S. Lewis Jr.
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  2. William H. Westra
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Correspondence to James S. Lewis Jr..

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This paper was written by members of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group (www.IHNSG.com).

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Lewis, J.S., Westra, W.H., Thompson, L.D.R. et al. The Sinonasal Tract: Another Potential “Hot Spot” for Carcinomas with Transcriptionally-Active Human Papillomavirus. Head and Neck Pathol 8, 241–249 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-013-0514-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-013-0514-4

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