Garba and Odigie, J Biomed & App Sci FUD (2025) 4:1
Keywords: Head Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Human Papilloma Virus, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, Kano, Nigeria.
2025-05-23 DOI: JOBASFUD_2024_3_1_024
Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) develop from the mucosal epithelium in the nose, oral cavity, pharynx and larynx and are the most common malignancies that arise in the head and neck. The study Aim to identify the role of Human papillomavirus in Head and Neck Carcinogenesis. Methods: The present study is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital of Kano City, Nigeria. A total of ninety-six (96) Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks of histologically diagnosed head and neck cancers processed between year 2020 to 2023 were retrieved. The nucleic acid was extracted using (Biopsin) kit for DNA/RNA extraction, and the extracted nucleic acid was then taken to real time multiplex PCR, using (Bioflux PCR kit), all performed according to manufacturer’s instructions. Data obtained was analysed using SPSS (version 20.0) and presented in tabular form. Results: The samples were from patients across wide age groups and from both genders, across the commonest head and neck cancer sited, namely laryngeal, nasal, oropharyngeal, pharynx, larynx and salivary glands. We found that (57.3%) of all head and neck cancers (HNC) in the study were associated with Human Papillomavirus (HPV). It was established that (71.9%) of all cases with HNC are males. It was also established that nasal cancer was the most common cancer among all HNC in the study, with 69.8% cases. Participants in the age of group of (21-30) were the most frequently affected age group (34.6%). HPV59 was the most common oncogenic genotype (28.1%) among all the tested genotypes in the study, followed by HPV51. Conclusion, we found that HPV 59, was the most frequently encountered genotype of HPV positive head and neck cancers in the study population and the nasal region is the most vulnerable affected site of origin of the disease.