The presence of herpesviruses in malignant but not in benign or recurrent pleomorphic adenomas.

BACKGROUND: The etiology of salivary gland tumors is mainly unknown. The anatomical location of the salivary glands, with the mucosal pathway to the oral cavity and its rich microbiome, raises the question of potential viral background. OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on the potential presence of herpes-, polyoma- and parvoviruses in pleomorphic adenoma (PA), recurrent pleomorphic adenoma (RPA) and carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (CaxPA). METHODS: Thirty different viruses were analyzed by PCR-based assays in 68 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded salivary gland tumors (25 PA, 31 RPA and 12 CaxPA). RESULTS: Virus DNA was detected altogether in 19/68 (28%) tumor samples. Human herpesviruses 6B and 7 (HHV-6B and HHV-7) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were frequently and almost exclusively found in CaxPA (5/12, 7/12, and 3/12, respectively). Within the 7 CaxPA that were virus-positive, 3 samples contained 3, and 1 sample even 4, different viruses. Infrequent viral positivity was shown for parvovirus B19 and cutavirus, as well as Merkel cell and Malawi polyomaviruses. CONCLUSIONS: Our unexpected finding of herpesvirus DNA almost exclusively in CaxPA tissues deserves further in-depth studies.

Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma of Salivary Glands.

Lymphoepithelial carcinoma of salivary glands (LECSG) is an uncommon neoplasm. This article summarizes the findings of 438 cases in a review of the literature. Concurrent lymphoepithelial lesions may suggest a primary tumor. The tumor shows a nonkeratinizing carcinoma intimately associated with a rich lymphohistiocytic infiltrate, destroying adjacent salivary gland tissue. Irrespective of race or ethnicity, the tumors usually express Epstein-Barr virus, with Epstein-Barr virus encoded small RNA (EBER) and/or latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1), although a subset does not. There is an overall good prognosis of about 80% at 5 years.

Lymphoepithelial Carcinoma of Salivary Gland EBV-association in Endemic versus Non-Endemic Patients: A Report of 16 Cases.

Lymphoepithelial carcinoma of salivary glands (LECSG) are rare neoplasms, reported in endemic populations (southeastern Chinese) with a strong Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) association. A retrospective series comparing EBV status within an ethnically diverse population (endemic vs. non-endemic patients) has not been reported. Sixteen LECSG were equally distributed between males (n = 8) and females (n = 8) with a median age of 54 years (range 18 to 85 years) at initial diagnosis. Ten patients were white, 4 Asian, and 2 black. The patients typically presented with swelling or mass for an average of 11.6 months. Tumors affected only major salivary glands: parotid (n = 13); submandibular (n = 3). Tumors were an average of 2.9 cm (range 1.5 to 5.8 cm). Nine of 16 (56%) patients had cervical lymph node metastases at presentation. No patients had nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal tumors. Microscopically, the tumors were widely infiltrative, characterized by large polygonal to spindled cells arranged in a syncytial, lattice-like network in a background of lymphoplasmacytic cells. The neoplastic cells showed an open-vesicular nuclear chromatin to a more basaloid-morphology, the latter showing hyperchromatic nuclei and less cytoplasm, while nearly all of the cases had associated lymphoepithelial lesions/sialadenitis. By in situ hybridization, 8 of 16 cases had a strong, diffuse EBER expression (4 of 4 Asians; 4 of 12 non-Asians), while with immunohistochemistry all cases tested were pan-cytokeratin, CK5/6 and p63 reactive; none of the cases tested were p16 reactive. All patients were managed with wide or radical excision, 4 with concurrent chemoradiation, and 6 with radiation alone. Distant metastasis (lung, brain, and bone) developed in 2 patients. Overall follow-up (mean 3.8 years) revealed 12 patients alive and 2 dead, none with evidence of disease (mean 4.3 years); one white male alive with disease at 1.9 years, and one Asian female dead of disease at 4.2 years; both of these latter patients had Group IV stage disease. High stage (Group IV) patients had a shorter mean survival than lower stage patients: 3.1 versus 4.8 years, respectively. In conclusion, LECSG are uncommon primary neoplasms. Concurrent lymphoepithelial lesions may help suggest a primary tumor. The tumors, irrespective of race or ethnicity, may express EBER. There is an overall good survival, perhaps better for EBV-negative patients and for those with lower stage disease.

Don't stop the champions of research now: a brief history of head and neck pathology developments.

The field of head and neck pathology was just developing 50 years ago but has certainly come a long way in a relatively short time. Thousands of developments in diagnostic criteria, tumor classification, malignancy staging, immunohistochemistry application, and molecular testing have been made during this time, with an exponential increase in literature on the topics over the past few decades: There were 3506 articles published on head and neck topics in the decade between 1969 and 1978 (PubMed source), with a staggering 89266 manuscripts published in the most recent decade. It is daunting and impossible to narrow the more than 162000 publications in this field and suggest only a few topics of significance. However, the breakthrough in this anatomic discipline has been achieved in 3 major sites: oropharyngeal carcinoma, salivary gland neoplasms, and sinonasal tract tumors. This review will highlight selected topics in these anatomic sites in which the most profound changes in diagnosis have occurred, focusing on the information that helps to guide daily routine practice of surgical pathology.

Polyomavirus JCPyV infrequently detectable in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the oral cavity and the airways.

Our objective was to assess the presence of three polyomaviruses, namely SV40, JCPyV, and BKPyV, and human papillomaviruses (HPV) in adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) of the minor salivary glands (MiSG) in the head and neck region. The study comprised 68 MiSG ACC patients operated during 1974-2012 at the Helsinki University Hospital (Helsinki, Finland). Medical records and 68 histological samples were reviewed. Polyomaviruses were detected with quantitative PCR and the DNA-positive samples were further analyzed for the presence of viral tumor T antigen (T-ag) with immunohistochemistry. HPV genotyping was performed with a Multiplex HPV Genotyping Kit. Only JCPyV DNA was found in ACC samples, being present in 7 (10.3%) out of the 68 samples. The viral load of JCPyV was low varying between 1 to 226 copies/µg DNA. The JCPyV-positive samples originated from trachea (two samples), paranasal sinuses (one), and oral cavity (two). Additionally, JCPyV positivity was found in one lung metastasis of a tracheal tumor and one local disease failure of an oral cavity tumor. Three JCPyV DNA-positive samples showed weak nuclear staining for large T-ag. In conclusion, only JCPyV but not SV40, BKPyV, or HPV was found in ACC from the upper and lower airways. JCPyV copy numbers were low which might support its role as a "hit and run agent" in ACC carcinogenesis.

Human Polyomaviruses Are Not Frequently Present in Cancer of the Salivary Glands.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Malignant tumors of the salivary glands are rare and heterogeneous, with more than 20 subtypes, and classified mainly by histopathology. Their diagnosis is often challenging and their etiology unknown. Here, the possible association between human polyomaviruses (PyVs) and one or more salivary gland tumor subtypes was examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-one primary tumors, including 12 subtypes and eight corresponding metastases, were analyzed for the presence of DNA of 10 different human PyV species by a bead-based multiplex assay using polymerase chain reaction and Luminex analyses. RESULTS: Three samples, one adenocarcinoma (not otherwise specified), one adenoid cystic carcinoma, and one mucoepidermoid carcinoma were found to be positive. However, the amount of MCPyV DNA in these tumors was estimated to be less than one genome per tumor cell. CONCLUSION: The analysis of DNA from 10 human PyVs in a large number of malignant salivary gland cancers did not implicate any of these human PyVs as an important causative agent in any of the 12 subtypes studied.

Epstein-Barr virus in the pathogenesis of oral cancers.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous gamma-herpesvirus that establishes a lifelong persistent infection in the oral cavity and is intermittently shed in the saliva. EBV exhibits a biphasic life cycle, supported by its dual tropism for B lymphocytes and epithelial cells, which allows the virus to be transmitted within oral lymphoid tissues. While infection is often benign, EBV is associated with a number of lymphomas and carcinomas that arise in the oral cavity and at other anatomical sites. Incomplete association of EBV in cancer has questioned if EBV is merely a passenger or a driver of the tumorigenic process. However, the ability of EBV to immortalize B cells and its prevalence in a subset of cancers has implicated EBV as a carcinogenic cofactor in cellular contexts where the viral life cycle is altered. In many cases, EBV likely acts as an agent of tumor progression rather than tumor initiation, conferring malignant phenotypes observed in EBV-positive cancers. Given that the oral cavity serves as the main site of EBV residence and transmission, here we review the prevalence of EBV in oral malignancies and the mechanisms by which EBV acts as an agent of tumor progression.

Oral inverted ductal papilloma: not related to HPV.

Oral inverted ductal papilloma (OIDP) is a rare, nonrecurrent,benign lesion of salivary glands. The etiologyis still poorly understood; the correlation with humanpapilloma virus (HPV) is controversial. Herein wepresent a 74-year-old man with a tumor in lower lip.Incisional biopsy was performed and the histologicaldiagnosis was OIDP. Inno-LiPA assay, based onpolymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridizationwas used to assess for HPV with no detection of viralDNA. Surgical excision was performed without anyrecurrences after two years of follow-up.

[Current events in immunotherapy for upper aerodigestive tract cancer]. / Actualités sur l'immunothérapie en pathologie des voies aérodigestives supérieures.

Head and neck (HN) carcinomas (mostly represented by squamous cell carcinomas [SCC]) still have a poor prognosis, which could be dramatically improved with immunotherapy. Tumor's microenvironment changes, caused by many endogenous or exogenous events, can correlate with prognosis and therapeutic response. Here, we review recent data regarding HNSCC, nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) and salivary gland malignant tumors, all three being potential target of immunotherapies. About half of HNSCC exhibit PD-L1 expression, this expression being upregulated in HPV-positive tumors. In recent clinical trials, a better therapeutic response to anti-PD-1 has been obtained in patients with higher PD-L1 expression. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of these therapeutics without the screening of patients regarding PD-L1 status. Activation status, density and localisation of TIL as well as PD-L2, γ-interferon, inflammatory cytokines, epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype and mutational burden may all be potential therapeutic response markers. In Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-induced nasopharyngeal non-keratinizing cancer, PD-L1 is over-expressed compared to EBV negative-tumors. A 22 % response rate has been observed under anti-PD-1 treatment, among PD-L1-positive HNSCC patients. There is little data regarding microenvironment of salivary gland cancer. PD-L1 shows great heterogeneity in localisation, when expressed. A 11 % response rate has been obtained under anti-PD-1 treatment among PD-L1-positive NPC patients. A better understanding of immune checkpoint regulation processes needs to be achieved to allow patients with HN carcinomas to benefit from these promising immunotherapies.

Prevalence and associated survival of high-risk HPV-related adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) is a rare malignancy, but a frequent subtype in minor and major salivary glands. The molecular alterations or biomarkers that underlie its development and progression as well as therapy outcomes are poorly characterized. The main study goal was to investigate reliable biomarkers and patient-related factors that may have impact on recurrence and long-term survival of SACC. The prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) in SACC was determined by HPV-DNA genotyping and p16 immunostaining. Epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), p53 and Ki-67 expression were also evaluated. Twenty-eight (42%) of 67 patients were HPV-DNA positive. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that SACC patients with metastases (P=0.03) had a poor overall survival (OS) and a shorter recurrence-free survival (P<0.001). Positive resection margins significantly predicted shorter recurrence-free survival (P=0.01). In the multivariate analysis, non-metastatic disease (P=0.033) and p16 positivity (P=0.005) have shown their prediction value for OS while non-metastatic disease (P=0.002), HPV positivity (P=0.041) and negative resection margin predicted a better recurrence-free survival. The present study documents for the first time the positivity for HPV infection and overexpression of certain markers (p16, Ki-67, EGFR and p53) used in diagnostics in SACC as well as characterizes clinical entities. These factors might be exploited in the future as biomarkers for its prognostic value. Using the clinical and pathological basis for predicting different outcomes could significantly facilitate SACC stratification and potentially directing treatment.

Cytomegalovirus induces Interleukin-6 mediated inflammatory response in salivary gland cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether cytomegalovirus (CMV) is present in different histological types of salivary gland cancer (SGC) by detecting CMV immediate-early (IE) and early gene products, and to determine the presence of its association with the overexpression of interleukin (IL)-6. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis of 92 cases of different histological types of SGC was performed to determine the presence of IL-6 and CMV antigen and its intensity in tumor tissue. Twenty samples of normal salivary gland tissue obtained during autopsy served as healthy controls. RESULTS: CMV antigens were not found in healthy acinar tissue of salivary glands, but were expressed in epithelium of salivary gland ducts. Negative expression of CMV antigens was also found in salivary gland tissue surrounding tumors. On the other hand, CMV was detected in 65/92 SGC cases (70.6%). Higher expression of IL-6 was found in SGC (70.7%) than in normal tissue (20%). There was a high association of CMV antigen presence with the presence of IL-6, and with the IL-6 expression intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Positive expression of CMV antigens in a high percentage of SGC cells suggests that it might play an important role in carcinogenesis by increasing IL-6 production and leading to inhibition of apoptosis and tumor development.

HPV Infection, but Not EBV or HHV-8 Infection, Is Associated with Salivary Gland Tumours.

Benign and malignant salivary gland tumours are clinically heterogeneous and show different histology. Little is known about the role of human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in salivary gland neoplasms. We investigated the presence of the three viruses in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples in a cohort of 200 different salivary gland tumours. We performed EBV-LMP-1 and HHV-8 and p16 immunohistochemistry, a specific chip based hybridization assay for detection and typing of HPV and a chromogenic in situ hybridization for EBV analysis. Only one case, a polymorphic low-grade carcinoma, showed HHV-8 expression and one lymphoepithelial carcinoma was infected by EBV. In 17 cases (9%) moderate or strong nuclear and cytoplasmic p16 expression was detected. The HPV type was investigated in all of these cases and additionally in 8 Warthin's tumours. In 19 cases HPV type 16 was detected, mostly in Warthin's tumour, adenoid cystic carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma NOS. We concluded that HHV-8 infection and EBV infection are not associated with salivary gland cancer, but HPV infection may play a role in these tumour entities.

Human papillomavirus and salivary gland neoplasia: a p16INK4 immunohistochemical and in situ hybridisation study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the association between human papillomavirus infection and salivary gland tumours in a Scottish cohort. METHODS: Specimens from a range of salivary gland tumours operated on between 1997 and 2012 were studied. A tissue microarray constructed from tissue blocks was subjected to p16INK4 (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A) immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation using probes specific for human papillomavirus, including types 16 and 18. RESULTS: A total of 61 tumours (benign and malignant) were deemed suitable for the study. p16INK4 staining yielded three (4.9 per cent) positive samples: one small cell carcinoma, one squamous cell carcinoma and one poorly differentiated carcinoma. Human papillomavirus in situ hybridisation demonstrated a positive signal in the latter sample only (1.6 per cent). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a very low human papillomavirus detection rate in salivary gland tumours. It can therefore be concluded that human papillomavirus infection is unlikely to play a role in salivary gland neoplasia. Rare human papillomavirus positive cases should be carefully evaluated to exclude the possibility of a metastatic lesion.

Expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A 16, tumour protein 53 and epidermal growth factor receptor in salivary gland carcinomas is not associated with oncogenic virus infection.

It is known that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection can cause squamous cell neoplasms at several sites, such as cervix uteri carcinoma and oral squamous carcinoma. There is little information on the expression of HPV and its predictive markers in tumours of the major and minor salivary glands of the head and neck. We therefore assessed oral salivary gland neoplasms to identify associations between HPV and infection-related epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A/p16) and tumour protein p53 (TP53). Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples from oral salivary gland carcinomas (n=51) and benign tumours (n=26) were analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for several HPV species, including high-risk types 16 and 18. Evaluation of EGFR, CDKN2A, TP53 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) was performed by immunohistochemistry. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was evaluated by EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridisation. We demonstrated that salivary gland tumours are not associated with HPV infection. The expression of EGFR, CDKN2A and TP53 may be associated with tumour pathology but is not induced by HPV. CMV and EBV were not detectable. In contrast to oral squamous cell carcinomas, HPV, CMV and EBV infections are not associated with malignant or benign neoplastic lesions of the salivary glands.

CMV-induced pathology: pathway and gene-gene interaction analysis.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most prevalent malignant tumor in major and minor salivary glands (SGs). We have recently identified human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) as a principle component in the multifactorial causation of SG-MEC. This finding is corroborated by the ability of the purified mouse CMV (mCMV) to induce malignant transformation of SG cells in a three-dimensional in vitro mouse model, using a similar oncogenic signaling pathway. Our prior studies indicate that the core tumor microenvironment (TME) is a key regulator of pathologic progression, particularly the cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) component. Studies of early CAFs immunodetect aberrant expression of ECM components, as well as multiple growth factors, cytokines and transcription factors. Here we present the mechanistic insight derived from a mathematical structure ("wiring diagram") used to model complex relationships between a highly relevant (p=9.43×10(-12)) global "cancer network" of 32 genes and their known links. Detailed characterization of the functional architecture of the examined "cancer network" exposes the critical crosstalk and compensatory pathways that limit the efficacy of targeted anti-kinase therapies.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma does not harbor transcriptionally active high risk human papillomavirus even in the absence of the MAML2 translocation.

High risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is firmly established as an important cause of oropharyngeal carcinoma. Recent studies have also implicated HPV as a cause of mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC)-a tumor of salivary gland origin that frequently harbors MAML2 translocations. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of transcriptionally active HPV in a large group of MECs and to determine whether HPV infection and the MAML2 translocation are mutually exclusive events. Break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization for MAML2 was performed on a tissue microarray containing 92 MECs. HPV testing was performed using RNA in situ hybridization targeting high risk HPV mRNA E6/E7 transcripts. Of the 71 MECs that could be evaluated by FISH, 57 (80 %) harbored the MAML2 rearrangement. HPV was not detected in any of the 57 MECs that contained a MAML2 rearrangement, in any of the 14 MECs that did not contain the rearrangement, or in any of the 21 MECs where MAML2 status was unknown. High risk HPV does not appear to play any significant role in the development of MEC. It neither complements nor replaces MAML2 translocation in the tumorigenesis of MEC.

Epidemiology of herpes human virus 6 and 7 infections in salivary gland neoplasms in isfahan, iran.

BACKGROUND: The previous studies showed that herpes human virus-6 (HHV-6) and HHV-7 exist in salivary glands. One of the important areas in oral and maxillofacial pathology field is tumors of the salivary glands. In this study, to declare the major sites of persistent infection with HHV-6 and HHV-7, the existence of HHV-6 and HHV-7 genomes in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue samples of salivary gland tumors. METHODS: This analytical study was performed in 60 paraffin blocks samples of malignant and benign neoplasms of both major and minor salivary glands. This study performed with highly sensitive real time PCR method. RESULTS: Among 60 paraffin blocks salivary gland tumors with equal chances of presence of the HHV-7 and HHV-6 in the samples, 34% were positive for both HHV-7 and HHV-6 while 47.2% were only positive for HHV-7, 18.9% samples were positive for HHV-6. A relationship was noticed between HHV-7 and HHV-6 genomes. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study showed no relation between virus and diseases with P=0.953. Also it could be inferred that there is a relationship between HHV-6 and 7 in salivary glands neoplasms.

Inflammatory cytokine-mediated evasion of virus-induced tumors from NK cell control.

Infections with DNA tumor viruses, including members of the polyomavirus family, often result in tumor formation in immune-deficient hosts. The complex control involved in antiviral and antitumor immune responses during these infections can be studied in murine polyomavirus (PyV)-infected mice as a model. We found that NK cells efficiently kill cells derived from PyV-induced salivary gland tumors in vitro in an NKG2D (effector cell)-RAE-1 (target cell)-dependent manner; but in T cell-deficient mice, NK cells only delay but do not prevent the development of PyV-induced tumors. In this article, we show that the PyV-induced tumors have infiltrating functional NK cells. The freshly removed tumors, however, lack surface RAE-1 expression, and the tumor tissues produce soluble factors that downregulate RAE-1. These factors include the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-33, and TNF. Each of these cytokines downregulates RAE-1 expression and susceptibility to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. CD11b(+)F4/80(+) macrophages infiltrating the PyV-induced tumors produce high amounts of IL-1ß and TNF. Thus, our data suggest a new mechanism whereby inflammatory cytokines generated in the tumor environment lead to evasion of NK cell-mediated control of virus-induced tumors.

Human papillomaviruses are not involved in the etiopathogenesis of salivary gland tumors.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-related high risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) 16 and 18 have been repeatedly detected in head and neck cancers, particularly, they are well known risk factors in squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharyngeal and tonsillar region. Little is known, however, about the possible role of HPV in salivary gland tumors. METHODS: Fifty-five cases of benign and malignant salivary gland tumors were tested using p16 immunohistochemistry followed by HPV DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using SPF, CPSGB, GP5+/GP6+ primers, and type specific primers for HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45 in the cases with strong immunohistochemical expression for p16 protein (score 3+). RESULTS: Only 5 tumors of 55 (9 %) were completely devoid of any p16 staining, and in 10 cases (18 %), less than 25 % of tumor cells stained (score 1+). In the majority of cases (35 of 55; 64 %) there was a patchy nuclear and cytoplasmic strong staining in 26 to 50 % of tumor cells (score 2+). In five cases (9 %), strong nuclear and cytoplasmic staining in more than 51% of tumor cells was detected (score 3+). However, none of the p16-positive cases showed any evidence of high-risk HPV by PCR. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate that HPV, in particular oncogenic types 16 and 18, are not involved in the etiology of benign and malignant epithelial tumors of salivary glands. Therefore, it is likely that salivary gland tumors belong to the category of tissues in which the p16 positive immunohistochemistry is not biologically relevant to the oncogenic role of HPV infection.