Human papillomavirus genotypes and risk of head and neck cancers: Results from the HeNCe Life case-control study

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is changing dramatically the epidemiologic landscape of head and neck cancers (HNCs) [1], a disease with low survival rates [2] and high morbidity [3,4] and suicide rates [4,5]. Historically, smoking and drinking habits accounted for the majority of HNCs [6], but HPV infection is now recognized as the aetiological factor driving carcinogenesis for a subset of HNCs, most importantly oropharyngeal cancers [7–10]. While there is a trend for the incidence of HPV-negative HNCs to decrease, reflecting mostly a reduction in smoking habits, HPV-positive HNCs incidence rates are increasing, particularly in men [7,11].

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