Elevated risk of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers in husbands of women with anogenital cancer appears calendar-time dependent

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are associated with oropharyngeal cancer, especially tonsillar and base of tongue squamous cell carcinomas (TSCC/BOTSCC). Our aim was to evaluate relative risk (RR) of TSCC/BOTSCC in the husbands of women with anogenital HPV-associated cancer using the Swedish family data linked to cancer diagnoses. Methods The database includes some 3.5 million families and 16 million individuals identified since 1932 and linked to cancer data of individuals from 1958 to 2015. We explored the RR of familial TSCC/BOTSCC in husbands diagnosed with TSCC/BOTSCC of women diagnosed with anogenital (anal, vulvo/vaginal, cervical) cancer or cervical carcinoma in situ as compared to husbands of healthy controls by calendar-time and age. Results In husbands of women with in situ cervical carcinoma, the RR for TSCC/BOTSCC was 2-fold both in the time period of 1969–2001 and in 2002–2015. The RR of TSCC/BOTSCC in husbands of women with invasive anogenital cancer increased by calendar-time and decreasing ages at diagnosis. The RR of TSCC/BOTSCC peaked at 9.4 (95% CI 1.80–49.4) in 2002–2015 in spouses diagnosed for invasive cancer both at age < 50 years. Conclusion These associations may be due to the increasing HPV population attributable fraction in TSCC/BOTSCC over time.