HPV DNA genotyping, HPV E6I mRNA detection, and p16INK4a/Ki-67 staining in Belgian head and neck cancer patient specimens, collected within the HPV-AHEAD study

•Heterogeneity of HPV DNA prevalence across anatomical sites in Belgian HNC patients.•HPV16 is the predominant genotype in all HNC sites.•Estimated proportion of HPV-driven HNC (1980–2014): 30 % for OPC, 3 % for OC and LC. The main risk factors for head and neck cancer (HNC) are tobacco and alcohol use. However, an important fraction of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV), a subgroup with increasing incidence in several western countries. As part of the HPV-AHEAD study, we assessed the role of HPV infection in 772 archived tissue specimens of Belgian HNC patients: 455 laryngeal (LC), 106 oral cavity (OCC), 99 OPC, 76 hypopharyngeal (HC), and 36 unspecified parts of the head and neck. All specimens were tested for HPV DNA (21 genotypes); whereof all HPV DNA-positives, all HPV DNA-negative OPCs and a random subset of HPV DNA-negatives of the other HNC-sites were tested for the presence of type-specific HPV RNA and p16INK4a over-expression. The highest HPV DNA prevalence was observed in OPC (36.4 %), and was significantly lower (p