Co-infection of human papillomavirus genotypes and Epstein-Barr virus in tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx: a retrospective study in Northeastern Mexico

•Higher human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence in oral cavity cancers compared with oropharyngeal cancers.•HPV-16 was the predominant genotype, present in 92.9% of HPV-positive cases.•Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA was detected in 14.6% of specimens, mainly in oral cavity cancers.•Low HPV and EBV co-infection incidence, with only one case found. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and genotyping of human papillomavirus (HPV) and to assess co-infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers (OC and OPC) specimens from patients at a tertiary care hospital in Northeastern Mexico. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 41 patients with OC and OPC were evaluated. HPV detection and genotyping were performed using the Ampliquality HPV-Type Express kit. EBV DNA detection was carried out by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. HPV DNA was detected in 14 (34.1%) specimens, with a higher prevalence in OC (78.6%) compared with OPC (21.4%). HPV-16 was the most frequently identified genotype (92.9%), found as a single infection in 53.8% of cases and co-infection with other genotypes in 46.2%. EBV DNA was detected in six (14.6%) specimens, with OC being the most common site. Co-infection with HPV and EBV was observed in only one case. Statistical significance was found between HPV infection and smoking history (p = 0.020) and between EBV infection and patient age (p = 0.026). Our results reveal a higher prevalence of HPV infection in OC compared with OPC, with HPV-16 being the predominant genotype. HPV-positive cases were predominantly found in older male patients. Thus, expanding HPV vaccination to broader populations could potentially impact cancer incidence. EBV co-infection with HPV was infrequent, and further research is needed to fully understand the role of these viruses in OC and OPC development.