Detection of circulating tumor HPV-DNA in patients with HPV-positive sinonasal and nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Approximately 30% of sinonasal and nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases are HPV-associated, yet studies investigating circulating tumor HPV-DNA (ctHPV-DNA) among these patients are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of ctHPV-DNA in pretreatment blood samples from patients with HPV-positive (HPV+) sinonasal and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

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No actionable change for audiologists or hearing specialists; this study addresses oncological monitoring of head-and-neck cancers rather than hearing or vestibular care, though audiologists managing patients on ototoxic cancer therapies may note its diagnostic context.

Liquid biopsy approaches for HPV-driven sinonasal and nasopharyngeal cancers could eventually inform treatment monitoring in patients who also receive ototoxic (hearing-damaging) chemotherapy regimens.

1. 01Study targets HPV-positive sinonasal and nasopharyngeal carcinoma — a patient group with limited existing liquid biopsy data.
2. 02Circulating tumor HPV-DNA (ctHPV-DNA) detection in blood could serve as a non-invasive cancer monitoring tool.
3. 03HPV-positive head-and-neck cancers are an expanding clinical population with distinct treatment pathways.
4. 04Findings are at the margins of audiology practice but relevant to audiologists monitoring hearing in head-and-neck oncology patients.
5. 05Data on ctHPV-DNA detectability in this specific anatomical subsite were previously scarce.

PMID

42898009

DOI

10.2340/1651-226X.2026.46393.

Journal

Acta Oncologica

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Patients with HPV-positive sinonasal and nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Intervention

Detection of circulating tumor HPV-DNA in blood