Abstract

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a frequently diagnosed sexually transmitted disease, transmitted by contact between skin and mucous membranes. There are multiple etiological relationships between HPV infections and neoplasms in organs of the reproductive and genital system and at head and neck. Those belonging to HPV have been grouped and characterized by phylogenetic analysis and by its sequence of nucleotides and amino acids. HPV progresses through the layers of skin or mucosal epithelium inducing malignant transformation in these cells. The diagnosis of this infection is performed using various techniques of PCR and in situ hybridization. Oropharyngeal carcinoma is a neoplastic disease with a varied clinical presentation. Its association with HPV is detectable by immunohistochemic methods. It’s also associated more frequent with young people, men, presentation with a better defined anatomic location and an earlier clinical expression.

Currently it has been documented an increase in cases of oropharyngeal carcinoma despite the fall of their main risk factor; smoking. Its incidence and mortality continue to be relatively low in comparison with other head and neck tumors. This increase has etiologically been associated with HPV infection; and with subtypes of increased risk of malignancy such as HPV 16 and 18; as with changes in the behavior of the disease. National statistics differ from the foreign data, however the low amount of studies in our population and the biases associated with underreporting of the disease are an important factor to take into account. It is necessary to perform a greater number of studies in the Costa Rican population to determine the actual behavior of this disease and its etiological relation to carcinoma of the oropharynx.

Keywords: Human papillomavirus (HPV); Oropharyngeal cancer; Head and neck cancer; Oral leucoplakia; Squamous cell carcinoma; Papillomatosis