Keywords:
Cancer, Staging, Education, CT, Oncology, Head and neck
Authors:
G. B. Verrone1, F. Mungai2, M. Pietragalla2, L. Bonasera2, V. Miele2; 1Firenze/IT, 2Florence/IT
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-1540
Conclusion
Our case series shows a statistically significant correlation between:
- the cystic changes of the lymphadenopathy and the presence of HPV+ status
- the deep muscle invasion of the primary lesion and the HPV status
according to the literature [6-8] (Fig. 13).
The invasion of deep muscles and the more typically infiltrative aspect of HPV- OPSCC is correlated to a greater aggressiveness of these tumours given by numerous gene mutations induced by exposure to smoke and alcohol,
as opposed to HPV+ tumours that often arise in young adult male patients without exposure to these risk factors.
The cystic appearance of lymphadenopathy is a strongly suspicious sign of HPV-related oropharyngeal tumour that should always be suspected in cases of non-visible primary tumour,
particularly in male patients without a significant history of exposure to smoking and alcohol consumption.