RS03DOES HPV PLAY A ROLE IN THE OUTCOME OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER AMONG INDIGENOUS PATIENTS

Race, ethnicity and social background can significantly affect outcomes in head and neck cancer. Part of the disparity is that the Indigenous patients tend to be younger and present with more advanced disease. These dramatic disparities cannot be completely explained by demographics, clinical characteristics, substance abuse or treatment modality. Increasing incidence rates are noted world-wide for HPV- related cancers such as oro-pharyngeal tumours and is significantly associated in non-smokers/non-drinkers. The burden of HPV incidence in Aboriginal Australians remains unstudied. This study evaluates the incidence and the role of HPV in the treatment outcome and survival in head and neck cancer patients in indigenous patients at Australia. All indigenous patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aero-digestive tract from 2000-2008 at Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, NT, Australia, were included in the analysis. Formalin fixed, Paraffin embedded blocks were retrieved and HPV status was checked detected by L1 consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Demographic data, treatment details and survival statistics were included to complete the analysis. The incidence of HPV is very variable from other population studies. Interestingly, a very high prevalence of tobacco and alcohol abuse was also documented. Results suggest that there may be interactions between positive serology and drinking and smoking along with ethnicity, suggesting that the pathogenesis of this subset of patients is different and the treatment has to be individualised. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]