ABSTRACT
The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is steadily increasing worldwide and has already exceeded cervical cancer rates in the USA. Due to their tumor biology, HPV-positive tumors of the oropharynx, which have been included in the eighth edition of the AJCC/UICC (American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union Internationale Contre le Cancer) Staging Manual since 2018, represent a separate entity. Following biopsy, diagnostic confirmation is performed by immunohistochemical detection of p16 expression, with p16 acting as a surrogate marker. Therapeutically, surgical and radiotherapeutic approaches are considered equivalent in terms of efficacy. With a 5-year overall survival of up to 80%, patients with HPV-positive OPSCC have a better prognosis compared to patients with HPV-negative OPSCC, where survival rates are between 40 and 50%.