OROPHARYNGEAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA AND HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS STATUS: A CASE REPORT

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for 30% of head and neck neoplasms. Tobacco and alcohol consumption are classic risk factors for this neoplasm. However, human papillomavirus (HPV) is an additional risk. This report describes the case of OSCC in a 60-year-old black man, a smoker and chronic alcoholic, who complained of “pain when swallowing.” A left cervical lymph node measuring 3.0 cm that was fixed and painless was observed at the extraoral examination. Intraoral examination revealed a bleeding hard ulcer with raised edges that was painful to palpation, 6.0 cm in diameter, and located in the left soft palate with 6 months of evolution. An incisional biopsy was performed with well-differentiated OSCC stage III diagnosis and negative immunohistochemistry for p16. The patient was submitted to radiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Classical carcinogenesis induced by tobacco and alcohol appears to be associated with this case rather than HPV infection.