Zakażenie wirusem HPV jako czynnik nowotworzenia w rakach głowy i szyi

The role of human papilloma virus in cancerogenesis has been discovered in the '80s. Since this time many researches confirmed it also in HNSCC cancerogenesis. The most important distinction between types of the virus is high risk HPV which leads to malignant transformation and low risk HPV. Because of different biology and clinical course HPV(+) HNSCC the knowledge of the presence of HPV DNA may help to predict the tumor's behavior. Many studies contradict each other in terms of prognosis HPV(+) and HPV(-) HNSCC, but there are quite strong evidences that in some localisations (especially tonsillar carcinoma) prognosis is generally better in HPV(+) tumors.