Genetic Mutations Associated with Inflammatory Response Caused by HPV Integration in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 24
• Main Authors: Atique, Mai, Muniz, Isis, Farshadi, Fatemeh, Hier, Michael, Mlynarek, Alex, Macarella, Marco, Maschietto, Mariana, Nicolau, Belinda, Alaoui-Jamali, Moulay A, da Silva, Sabrina Daniela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.01.2024
• Subjects: Anopheles; Antitumor activity; Bcl-6 protein; Cancer; Cell activation; Degranulation; Development and progression; Foxp1 protein; Gene mutations; Gene regulation; Genes; Head & neck cancer; head and neck cancer; Head and neck carcinoma; Human papillomavirus; Immune response; Immunosuppression; Immunotherapy; Infiltration; Inflammation; Insulin-like growth factor I; Janus kinase 2; Leukocytes (neutrophilic); LRRK2 protein; Mutation; mutational profile; Oncology, Experimental; Oropharyngeal cancer; oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas; Oropharyngolaryngeal carcinoma; Papillomavirus infections; prognosis; Risk factors; Software; Squamous cell carcinoma; Syk protein; Germany; Quebec; Canada; United States > US; Montreal Quebec Canada; oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas; head and neck cancer; prognosis; human papillomavirus; mutational profile
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010024

(1) Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) ranks as the sixth most prevalent cancer in the world. In addition to the traditional risk factors such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, the implication of the human papillomavirus (HPV) is becoming increasingly significant, particularly in oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). (2) Methods: This study is based on a review analysis of different articles and repositories investigating the mutation profile of HPV-related OPC and its impact on patient outcomes. (3) Results: By compiling data from 38 datasets involving 8311 patients from 12 countries, we identified 330 genes that were further analyzed. These genes were enriched for regulation of the inflammatory response ( , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and ), among other biological processes. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed the most relevant biological processes were linked with the regulation of mast cell cytokine production, neutrophil activation and degranulation, and leukocyte activation (FDR < 0.001; -value < 0.05), suggesting that neutrophils may be involved in the development and progression of HPV-related OPC. (4) Conclusions: The neutrophil infiltration and HPV status emerge as a potential prognostic factor for OPC. HPV-infected HNC cells could potentially lead to a decrease in neutrophil infiltration. By gaining a better molecular understanding of HPV-mediated neutrophil immunosuppression activity, it is possible to identify a meaningful target to boost antitumor immune response in HNC and hence to improve the survival of patients with HNC.