Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33552950›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in oncology2020

Presence of Human Papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr Virus, but Absence of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus, in Head and Neck Cancer of Non-Smokers and Non-Drinkers.

Frans J Mulder, Faisal Klufah, Famke M E Janssen, Farzaneh Farshadpour, Stefan M Willems, Remco de Bree, Axel Zur Hausen, Mari F C M van den Hout, Bernd Kremer, Ernst-Jan M Speel

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. No Evidence of Microsatellite Instability in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Non-Smokers and Non-Drinkers.Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology · 2026
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  6. p16Infectious agents and cancer · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Frans J MulderDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Faisal KlufahDepartment of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Famke M E JanssenDepartment of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Farzaneh FarshadpourDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, BovenIJ Hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Stefan M WillemsDepartment of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Remco de BreeDepartment of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Axel Zur HausenDepartment of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Mari F C M van den HoutDepartment of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Bernd KremerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Ernst-Jan M SpeelDepartment of Pathology, GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Maastricht University · NLRijnstate Hospital · NLUniversity Medical Center Groningen · NLUniversity Medical Center Utrecht · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveDetermine the presence and prognostic value of human papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), and cell cycle proteins in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) of non-smokers and non-drinkers (NSND).

methodsClinical characteristics and tumors of 119 NSND with HNSCC were retrospectively collected and analyzed on tissue microarrays. RNAscope

resultsAll oropharyngeal tumors (OPSCC) (n = 10) were HPV-positive, in addition to one oral (OSCC) and one nasopharyngeal tumor (NPSCC). The other three NPSCC were EBV-positive. MCPyV was not detected. Patients with HPV or EBV positive tumors did not have a significantly better 5-year disease free or overall survival. Over 70% of virus negative OSCC showed mutant-type p53 expression.

conclusionIn this cohort, all OPSCC and NPSCC showed HPV or EBV presence. Besides one OSCC, all other oral (n = 94), hypopharyngeal (n = 1), and laryngeal (n = 9) tumors were HPV, EBV, and MCPyV negative. This argues against a central role of these viruses in the ethiopathogenesis of tumors outside the oro- and nasopharynx in NSND. So, for the majority of NSND with virus negative OSCC, more research is needed to understand the carcinogenic mechanisms in order to consider targeted therapeutic options.

Indexed as

cell cycle proteinEpstein–Barr virushead and neck cancerhuman papillomavirusin situ hybridizationnon-drinkersnon-smokerspolyomavirus

Identifiers

PMID33552950
PMCPMC7855709
OpenAlexW3121439781

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.