Treatment response of HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

Summary Objectives Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important risk factor for development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Strikingly, HPV-positive HNSCCs have a more favorable prognosis than their HPV-negative counterparts. The current study was designed to explain this favorable prognosis of HPV-positive HNSCC. Materials and methods This was performed by investigating the response of four HPV-positive and fourteen HPV-negative HNSCC cell lines to cisplatin, cetuximab and radiation. Results Analysis of the responses of this cell line panel indicated that HPV-positive cells are more resistant to cisplatin treatment than the HPV-negative HNSCCs, whereas the response to radiation and cetuximab did not differ. Conclusions The current study suggests that the favorable prognosis for patients with HPV-positive HNSCC does not seem to be related to an intrinsic sensitivity of these tumor cells to chemotherapy or radiation in vitro.