Retrospective cohort study of performance of liquid biopsy for diagnosis and surveillance of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer

There is growing interest in the use of circulating plasma tumor HPV DNA for diagnosis and surveillance of patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). A retrospective cohort study of 399 patients in a contemporary clinical setting found that tumor tissue-modified (TTMV)-HPV DNA testing at the time of OPSCC diagnosis had excellent sensitivity (91.5%) and specificity (100%). With respect to surveillance, the TTMV-HPV DNA test had a sensitivity of 88.4% and specificity of 100% for detecting a recurrence. The authors conclude that these findings support the use of TTMV-HPV DNA testing as an adjunct biomarker for diagnosis and surveillance of HPV-associated OPSCC.