Human papillomavirus infection and tumor microenvironment are associated with the microbiota in patients with oropharyngeal cancers-pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Previous microbiome studies of oropharyngeal cancer have shown that there are differences in the oral microbiota between human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative patients. METHODS: We collected saliva, normal tissue, and tumor biopsies from 13 patients with oropharyngeal cancer (eight HPV-positive, five HPV-negative). We obtained basic clinical data from each patient. Extracted DNA was 16S rRNA gene sequenced. Analysis was based on HPV status and sample site using univariate, multivariate, and mixed effect regression methods. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis methods separated samples based on HPV status (Adonis, p < 0.001). Comparison of patients showed that there were significant changes in microbial richness across all sites based on HPV status (linear mixed effects regression, p = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: We found significant differences in overall microbial community and bacterial richness between oropharyngeal patients based on HPV status. Our results suggest that there are significant differences in the microbiome in patients with oropharyngeal cancer based on HPV status.