2025 Poster Presentations
P317: HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH OLFACTORY NEUROBLASTOMA DESPITE EXPRESSION OF P16: FINDINGS FROM A SINGLE-INSTITUTION STUDY
Gary Gallia; A. Karim Ahmed; Lydia J Bernhardt; Nyall R London, Jr; Masaru Ishii; Lisa M Rooper; Justin A Bishop; Johns Hopkins Hospital
Background. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant risk factor for head and neck cancers, particularly oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and is also associated with a subset of sinonasal cancers. It is unknown whether olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB), a rare sinonasal neoplasm, is associated with HPV. This study aimed to investigate if there is an association between ONB and HPV in a large single-institution series.
Methods. A tissue microarray (TMA) was created from ONB samples and analyzed for the presence of HPV. Immunohistochemistry for p16 expression, as well as DNA and RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) were performed.
Results. Of the 41 ONB samples on the TMA, 4 (9.8%) were positive for p16 expression, and 11 (26.8%) showed patchy staining. HPV DNA and RNA ISH were negative in all cases.
Conclusions. Although p16 is expressed in some ONB, the negative results for HPV DNA and RNA indicate that HPV infection does not likely play a role in the pathogenesis of ONB.