Human papillomavirus 16 and 18 in squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity and sexual practices: A pilot study at a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India

CONTEXT: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy in India and tobacco and betel nut chewing are well established risk factors. Despite successful campaigns to help people shun this habit in developing countries the incidence has rather gone up and HPV and sexual practices are now definitely implicated for this. AIM: An attempt was made to generate Indian data on role of HPV and sexual practices in relation to OSCC. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective observational study was conducted on 50 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue biopsies from fifty patients of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were subjected to PCR analysis to look for presence of HPV 16 and 18. Fifty patients with benign lesions were taken as control. STATISTICAL METHODS USED: The data was statistically analysed using SPSS version 22 and chi square test. RESULTS: 42% of OSCC patients were found to harbour HPV 16 and 18 whereas only 8% of patients with benign lesions had HPV 16 and 18. A significant number of HPV positive patients i.e. 9 out of 21 gave history of multiple sexual partners and oral sex. CONCLUSIONS: This high percentage of HPV in OSCC in an Indian population from a tertiary care centre in north India and its association with prevailing sexual practices is quite significant.