Prevalence of herpesviruses in patients with larynx and hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma

The aim of this study was the analysis of the prevalence of Herpesviridae (EBV, CMV, HSV-1) among patients with head and neck cancers (larynx and hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma). Correlation between viral infection, HNSCC, alcohol use, tobacco smoking, demographic data (gender, age, place of residence, occupation), anatomic location, pre-treatment staging, evidence of metastases to lymph nodes, and grading was also investigated. The examination samples were collected from paraffin-blocks tissues, from 35 patients. The laboratory part of investigation involved: isolation of DNA from histopathological specimens, qualitative analysis of DNA comprising of amplification of human ß-globin gene (reference gene) fragment, electrophoresis of amplification products of the gene fragment, quantitative DNA analysis (using spectrophotometric method), and viral DNA amplified by the nested-PCR method. There was a statistically significant correlation between T and tobacco smoking, and T and alcohol use. There was no statistically significant correlation between the presence of EBV, CMV, HSV-1 and G and epidemiological features such as place of residence.