Socioeconomic Factors Influence the Impact of Tumor HPV Status on Outcome of Patients With Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

PURPOSE: Human papilloma virus (HPV) association remains one of the most important predictors of clinical outcome in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). We aimed to determine whether the relationship between HPV status and overall survival was influenced by socioeconomic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database, we examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and overall survival, controlling for demographics and socioeconomic variables (age at diagnosis, race, sex, clinical stage, facility type, facility location, insurance status, median-income quartiles, percent of no high-school education quartiles, rural-urban dwelling, Charlson-Deyo score, primary site, and treatment type). RESULTS: HPV-positive patients with private insurance have improved overall survival compared with HPV-positive patients who are uninsured (hazard ratio [HR], 0.51, 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.63, P < .001). HPV-negative patients with private insurance have improved overall survival compared with HPV-negative patients who were uninsured (HR, 0.62, 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.73, P < .001). HPV-positive patients living in the south had improved overall survival compared with HPV-positive patients living in the west (HR, 0.83, 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.96, P = .013). As assessed through interaction, relationships between survival and insurance ( P = .004), rural-urban status ( P = .009), and facility location ( P = .021) statistically differed between HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients. CONCLUSION: HPV status impact on overall survival for patients with OPSCC is influenced by socioeconomic factors including insurance status and treatment facility. A deeper understanding of these interactions is needed to improve equity of care for patients with OPSCC.