Elevated Risk of HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancers in Husbands of Women With Anogenital Cancer

Abstract

Introduction

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with tonsillar and base-of-tongue squamous cell carcinomas (TSCC/BOTSCC). We evaluated the relative risk (RR) of TSCC/BOTSCC in the husbands of women with anogenital cancer using the Swedish family database.

Methods

The Swedish family database includes 3.5 million families and 16 million individuals identified since 1932 and linked to cancer data from 1958 to 2015. We explored the RR of TSCC/BOTSCC in husbands of women diagnosed with anogenital (anal, vulvar/vaginal, cervical) cancer or cervical carcinoma in situ (CIS) as compared to husbands of controls.

Results

The RR of TSCC/BOTSCC in husbands of women with invasive anogenital cancer increased by calendar time and decreasing ages at diagnoses. In 2002–2015, the RR peaked at 5.35 (95% CI 2.21–13.0) in TSCC/BOTSCC cases diagnosed at age < 50 years. In husbands of women with CIS, the RR for TSCC/BOTSCC was 2-fold irrespective of time period.

Conclusions

Clustering of increased HPV-associated invasive cancer risk in spouses appears to be calendar-time dependent. This introduces a new perspective in cancer science: an increase of familial HPV-associated cancer risk in spouses.