Human Papillomavirus Infection Is a Favorable Prognostic Factor for Patients With Stages I to IVA Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma but not Adenocarcinoma. - 2025
Human Papillomavirus Infection Is a Favorable Prognostic Factor for Patients With Stages I to IVA Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma but not Adenocarcinoma.
Human Papillomavirus Infection Is a Favorable Prognostic Factor for Patients With Stages I to IVA Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma but not Adenocarcinom.pdf
esophageal carcinogenesis; human papillomavirus; prognostic factors; progression-free/overall survival
Abstract :
[en] With its 2 distinct histological subtypes (squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] and adenocarcinoma [ADC]), its increasing incidence in both high- and low-income countries and its elevated 5-year mortality rate, esophageal cancer still represents a significant global health challenge. Although the implication of high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) in both anogenital and head and neck carcinogenesis is well-established, the association between these mucosotropic viruses and esophageal cancers has been a subject of debate for nearly 2 decades. In an effort to resolve this unclear situation and advance precision medicine, data from a large cohort of 378 patients diagnosed with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma (SCC [n = 226] and ADC [n = 152]) over a 20-year period were collected and thoroughly characterized (at clinical, histopathological, immunological, and virological levels). In total, about one-third (48/152, 31.58%) of ADC were positive for high-risk HPV DNA, but a transcriptionally active infection was only detected in 17.76% of the samples. Surprisingly, only a minority of malignant cells (typically <20%) showed viral transcripts, and HPV positivity had no prognostic significance for patients with esophageal ADC. Regarding SCC, 12.39% (28/226) of tissue specimens were HPV-positive, with viral/transcriptional activity observed in virtually 100% of neoplastic cells. These HPV-positive neoplasms more frequently exhibited basaloid differentiation and nonaberrant p53 expression and were significantly less associated with tobacco/alcohol use than their virus-negative counterparts. Importantly, uni-multivariate analyses indicated that HPV positivity was a reliable predictor of improved progression-free survival in patients with esophageal SCC. Taken together, our findings indicate that unlike in ADC, where testing for HPV is unnecessary, a dual classification system for esophageal SCC based on HPV status could/should be considered, with potential implications for personalized and optimized treatment strategies.
Disciplines :
Oncology
Author, co-author :
Reynders, Célia ; Université de Liège - ULiège > CARE "ULiège Library" > ULiège Library : Santé
Bruyère, Diane ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
RONCARATI, Patrick ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Service d'anatomie et cytologie pathologiques
Geuzaine, Romane ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Cancer - Experimental Pathology
KOOPMANSCH, Benjamin ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège - CHU > > Service de génétique
Gofflot, Stéphanie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de la santé publique
Monnien, Franck; Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France
Craciun, Ligia; Department of Pathology, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium
Piazzon, Nathalie; Institute of Pathology, Department of Laboratory medicine and Pathology, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Hendrick, Elodie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Cancer - Experimental Pathology
Poulain, Florian ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Cancer - Experimental Pathology
Miceli, Sarah; Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Grappe Interdisciplinaire de Génoprotéomique Appliquée (GIGA)-Cancer, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
Pilard, Charlotte ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Anatomie et cytologie pathologiques
Ancion, Marie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Cancer - Experimental Pathology
Luyckx, Margaux ; Université de Liège - ULiège > GIGA > GIGA Cancer - Experimental Pathology
Renard, Michael ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Lambert, Frédéric ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Gheit, Tarik; International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
Molimard, Chloé; Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France
Bibeau, Frederic; Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Besançon, Besançon, France
Larsimont, Denis; Department of Pathology, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium
Fasquelle, François; Institute of Pathology, Department of Laboratory medicine and Pathology, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
de Leval, Laurence ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques ; Institute of Pathology, Department of Laboratory medicine and Pathology, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Delvenne, Philippe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Anatomie et cytologie pathologiques
Kervarrec, Thibault; Department of Pathology, University Hospital Center of Tours, Tours, France, "Biologie des infections à polyomavirus" team, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (INRAE), Infectiologie et Santé Publique (ISP), University of Tours, Tours, France
Hubert, Pascale ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Anatomie et cytologie pathologiques
Peulen, Olivier ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Herfs, Michael ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Human Papillomavirus Infection Is a Favorable Prognostic Factor for Patients With Stages I to IVA Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma but not Adenocarcinoma.
Publication date :
December 2025
Journal title :
Modern Pathology
ISSN :
0893-3952
eISSN :
1530-0285
Publisher :
Elsevier B.V., United States
Volume :
38
Issue :
12
Pages :
100853
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
Université de Liège Fund for Scientific Research Fonds Léon Fredericq
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