# HPV-positive (p16) head and neck cancer

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/hpv-p16/  
OnCo record `hpv-p16` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Throat cancers caused by the human papillomavirus, identified by a p16 stain. They affect younger non-smokers and are far more curable than tobacco-related cancers.

## Summary

p16 immunohistochemistry is the surrogate for HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer (confirmed by HPV DNA/RNA where required). Incidence is rising in Western countries and now exceeds cervical cancer in the US. Separate AJCC 8th-edition staging; 3-year OS >80% with chemoradiation (RTOG 0129). De-escalation trials have so far failed to identify who can safely receive less treatment; HPV vaccination is expected to reduce incidence from the 2030s.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-07

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV-positive_oropharyngeal_cancer
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPV-positive_oropharyngeal_cancer

## Connected records

- cancers: [Adenosquamous carcinoma of the cervix](https://onco.cc/cancers/cervical-adenosquamous-carcinoma/), [Anal cancer (squamous cell carcinoma)](https://onco.cc/cancers/anal/), [Anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (precursor)](https://onco.cc/cancers/anal-hsil-precursor/), [Cancer of unknown primary, favourable subsets](https://onco.cc/cancers/cup-favourable-subsets/), [Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/head-and-neck/), [HPV-associated vulvar squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/hpv-associated-vulvar-cancer/), [HPV-independent vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (p53-mutant)](https://onco.cc/cancers/hpv-independent-vulvar-cancer/), [HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (including HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer)](https://onco.cc/cancers/hpv-negative-head-and-neck-cancer/), [HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/hpv-positive-oropharyngeal-cancer/), [Localised anal squamous cell carcinoma (stage I to III)](https://onco.cc/cancers/localised-anal-cancer/), [Localised penile cancer (organ-confined, node-negative)](https://onco.cc/cancers/localised-penile-cancer/), [Metastatic and recurrent anal squamous cell carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/metastatic-anal-cancer/), [Node-positive and metastatic penile cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/node-positive-penile-cancer/), [Penile cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/penile/), [Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix](https://onco.cc/cancers/cervical-small-cell-neuroendocrine-carcinoma/), [Squamous cell carcinoma of the urethra](https://onco.cc/cancers/urethral-squamous-cell-carcinoma/), [Urethral cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/urethral/), [Vaginal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/vaginal/), [Vaginal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-associated)](https://onco.cc/cancers/vaginal-squamous-cell-carcinoma/), [Vulvar cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/vulvar/)
- technologies: [Circulating tumour HPV DNA (ctHPV-DNA)](https://onco.cc/technologies/cthpv-dna/), [HPV & HBV vaccination](https://onco.cc/technologies/hpv-vaccine/)
- trials: [ECOG-ACRIN E3311](https://onco.cc/trials/ecog-e3311/), [NRG-HN002 & NRG-HN005 (HPV+ de-escalation)](https://onco.cc/trials/nrg-hn002-hn005/), [PATHOS](https://onco.cc/trials/pathos/), [RTOG 0129 (HPV analysis)](https://onco.cc/trials/rtog-0129/)
- pairings: [Caution: de-escalating radiation on HPV status alone](https://onco.cc/pairings/hpv-deescalation-caution/)
- ideas: [ctHPV-DNA-adapted de-escalation of chemoradiation](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-cthpv-adapted-deescalation/)
- people: [Harald zur Hausen](https://onco.cc/people/harald-zur-hausen/)
- bottlenecks: [Prevention we already have is not deployed](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-prevention-adoption/)
- pathways: [Oncogenic viruses](https://onco.cc/pathways/oncogenic-viruses/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/hpv-p16.json