Dados do Resumo

Título

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and its Clinical Manifestation in the Face of HPV Diagnosis with p16 Immunopositivity

Introdução

Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas have differences in their manifestations. Currently, there is an increase in the relationship with Human Papillomavirus (HPV), especially types 16 and 18, since they have a high oncogenic capacity due to the expression of proteins E6 and E7. In addition, the association of this cancer with immunopositivity of p16, encoded by the CDKN2A gene, was observed. Therefore, it is valid to consider the molecular aspects and their association with pathophysiology.

Objetivo

To identify and synthesize information on the influence of p16 expression on the prognosis and treatment of HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Métodos

This study is an integrative review, in which these steps were followed: 1st) Identification of the research question; 2nd) Definition of descriptors interspersed with the Boolean operator “and” and indexed in the Health Sciences Descriptors: (human papillomavirus) and (gene) and (medical oncology) and (P16). Definition of inclusion criteria: texts that address the expression of p16 in HPV-positive patients, indexed in the PubMed and Sage Journals databases, published in full texts, from 2019 to 2024, in English. For exclusion criteria: articles unrelated to the topic addressed, which do not address the desired cut in the title and abstract; 3rd) Identification of pre-selected and selected studies; 4th) Categorization of articles through an analysis in order to validate and organize the information; 5th) Discussion and interpretation of the selected articles; 6th) Writing of the integrative review and synthesis of knowledge.

Resultados

Twenty-nine articles were found, of which 14 were from PubMed, and 9 were included in the review based on the methodology. The other 15 were from Sage Journals, of which 1 article was selected based on the method. In the selected articles, evidence was found that correlates p16 protein immunopositivity with clinical behavior, prognosis, and treatment in HPV-positive patients. The different molecular pathways associated with p16 protein expression in each clinical scenario are directly linked to the patient's prognosis, in addition to other modifiable or non-modifiable variables being considered, since they establish the degree of malignancy of the pathology. Based on this, collecting information regarding the molecular pattern of the cancer is important to define early therapies that can directly affect the patient's prognosis.

Conclusões

In this study it was observed that the expression of the p16 protein is related to the clinical behavior of HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Furthermore, it is observed that there is influence between the expression of this protein and the manifestation of the characteristics of the carcinoma. Thus, it is important to establish a connection between immunopositivity for the p16 protein and its implications for the prognosis and responses to different types of treatment.

Palavras Chave

HPV; Head_and_Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma; p16