Evaluation of Diagnostic Utility of a High-Risk Human Papillomavirus PCR Test on Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Head and Neck Tumor Tissues

The increasing prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV)–associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has prompted strong clinical demands for detecting HR-HPV directly in the tumor. Although p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC) has been the standard testing method, it has limitations including false positivity, lack of sensitivity in low tumor cell samples such as fine-needle aspirate (FNA), and its subjectivity. We developed a modified method based on a commercial automated HR-HPV PCR assay and evaluated the performance characteristics and the diagnostic utility of this assay for direct HR-HPV detection in the HNSCC samples. HNSCC formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks were retrieved from archives including 44 excisions, 63 biopsies, and 16 FNAs. Tissue slices were trimmed from the blocks, deparaffinized, lysed, and loaded on the commercial automated platform for HR-HPV PCR. All specimens had a concurrent p16 IHC performed. The PCR assay showed high concordance with the p16 IHC (96%; 99/103) and excellent positive agreement (91.5%) and negative agreement (100%). In addition, the PCR assay provided more conclusive results in samples with equivocal p16 IHC results. The modified commercial automated HR-HPV PCR test is a labor-efficient, quick, reliable, sensitive, and specific method for detecting HR-HPV in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples. This assay also showed excellent diagnostic utility in samples with equivocal p16 IHC results, including FNA cell blocks.