Genetic polymorphisms and HPV infection in oral squamous cell carcinomas

•Genetic variants play a significant role in susceptibility to HPV infection.•Genetic variants in molecular pathways affect their biological function.•Genetic variants interact with HPV E7 and E6 to affect HPV infection.•Genetic variants may serve as predictors of risk of HPV infection in OSCC patients.

Despite declining smoking rates in the United States, the incidence of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC, including oral cavity and oropharynx) is rising in young adults. The reasons have been attributed to changes in sexual behaviors and the increasingly prevalent infection of oncogenic subtypes of human papillomavirus (HPV), principally type16 and occasionally type18. However, only small proportion of individuals who have contracted HPV infection will develop OSCC, suggesting that there is an inter-individual variation in susceptibility to HPV infection and related OSCC. Identification of susceptible biomarkers for HPV status would be useful to identify those individuals who are susceptible to HPV infection, to refine the prognostication of HPV associated OSCC, and ultimately to improve prevention efforts for OSCC and potentially other HPV-associated diseases. Our public health OSCC prevention paradigm will need to expand beyond tobacco and alcohol control.