Detection and Quantification of Human Papillomavirus in Benign and Malignant Parotid Lesions

Background/Aim: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is implicated in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. However, the causal role of HPV in carcinomas of the parotid gland remains uncertain and less documented. This study aimed to determine the potential implication of HPV in the development of benign and malignant lesions of the parotid gland. Materials and Methods: Paraffin-embedded biopsies were obtained from 40 patients with benign parotid gland tumors and from 39 patients with parotid gland carcinomas. The 79 samples were evaluated for the presence of HPV DNA using both GP5+/GP6+ consensus Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and type-specific E6/E7 PCR to detect 18 HPV types. Results: Our results showed a low prevalence of HPV, with only three HPV-positive cases among the 40 benign tumors and one infected carcinoma in the malignant population. Conclusion: No association between the presence of HPV DNA and the development of parotid gland tumors was found in our study.