Influence of human papillomavirus and p16^INK4a on treatment outcome of patients with anal cancer

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate HPV-DNA and p16^INK4a (p16) expression as prognostic markers for outcome in patients with anal cancer. Methods: From January 2000 to December 2011 a cohort of 105 anal cancer patients was treated with definitive chemoradiation at our institution. Tumor biopsies from 90 patients were analyzed for HPV-DNA by polymerase chain reaction and for p16 expression by immunohistochemistry. Results: Median follow-up was 48.6 months (range 2.8–169.1 months). HPV-DNA or p16-expression was found in 75 anal cancers each (83.3%), concordance was detectable in 70 tumors (77.8%). Significantly improved overall survival (OS) [77.1% vs. 51.4%, p = 0.005], progression-free survival (PFS) [64.0% vs. 35.0%, p < 0.001] and improved local control [81.0% vs. 55.9%, p = 0.023] was found for concomitant HPV- and p16-positive anal carcinomas (cHPPAC) in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed better OS [p = 0.015] and PFS [p = 0.002] for cHPPAC. Conclusion: The combination of HPV-DNA and p16 can be used as an independent prognostic parameter in anal cancer patients