Oral gargle-tumor biopsy human papillomavirus (HPV) agreement and associated factors among oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) cases

Abstract Objective Assess oral gargle-tumor human papillomavirus (HPV) agreement among oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) cases by several disease characteristics. Materials and methods 171 treatment naive OPSCC were enrolled 2014–2017. Tumors were categorized as early or late disease with early disease defined as T1-2 with no nodal involvement or at most a single ipsilateral positive node 10 -LiPA 25 was utilized for HPV genotyping of tumor (FFPE) and oral gargle specimens. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, percent agreement, and 95% exact binomial confidence intervals were estimated. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to predict agreement. Results 83.0% and 93.0% of oral gargle and tumor specimens were HPV positive. Oral gargle-tumor agreement for any oncogenic HPV type and HPV 16 was 73.7%. High oncogenic HPV oral gargle-tumor agreement was observed for late disease presentation, p16 positive cases, and tumors at the tonsils (74.5–80.8%). Similar trends were observed for HPV 16. Agreement for any oncogenic HPV and HPV 16 was significantly higher for late vs. early disease (77.9% vs 57.1%, p = 0.01). Oral gargle-tumor oncogenic HPV and HPV 16 agreement was independently associated with age ≥50 years and late disease presentation. Conclusion Overall, oral-tumor HPV agreement among OPSCC was relatively high. However, oral-tumor HPV agreement was significantly lower among younger cases and those diagnosed with earlier disease. Additional biomarkers are needed to improve oral HPV test characteristics to identify OPSCC early.