How does radiotherapy and chemotherapy fit best with surgery for HPV positive cases?

Prof Richard Shaw - University of Liverpool Cancer Research Centre, Liverpool, UK

How have you been looking at HPV management?

Another trial that has just been funded in the UK is the PATHOS trial which is looking at the role of surgery in HPV positive oropharynx. So we know there has been an explosion in the number of cases of oropharynx cancer and much of that is down to HPV, then there has been a trend to offering these patients non-surgical treatment. We’ve seen the benefits of laser resection of oropharyngeal cancer in terms of reducing the morbidity of treatment and so we’re looking at this trial to see how radiotherapy and chemotherapy fit with surgery best. I’m pleased to say that Cancer Research UK have funded that trial and off the back of that we’re running some translational research to learn more about the nature of the disease, in particular why a small percentage of HPV oropharynx cancers actually still do quite badly and get distant metastasis and how that might be better treated.

What do you expect your findings to be?

There is actually so little known about HPV oropharynx cancer, it’s a relatively new field. Ten years ago there was begrudging acceptance that it was there, now it is accepted but I think in terms of basic science research we’re a little way behind. So actually just to get the tissue associated with this trial co-ordinated in one central place to run a research programme, again is something that we’re very optimistic we’re going to learn a lot more.