Human papillomavirus as prognostic marker with rising prevalence in neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary: A retrospective multicentre study

Patients with neck squamous cell carcinomas of unknown primary tumour (NSCCUP) present with lymph node metastasis without evidence for a primary tumour. Most patients undergo an aggressive multimodal treatment, which induces severe, potentially unnecessary toxicity. Primary tumours of NSCCUP can be hidden in the oropharynx. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is causally involved in a subgroup of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC) associated with early lymph node metastasis and good prognosis. Detection of markers for HPV transformation in NSCCUP could allow focussing on the oropharynx in primary tumour search and could be of value for choice and extent of treatment.