Title: Accuracy of the HPV status site-specific factor 10 (SSF-10) variable for patients with oropharyngeal cancers in the Iowa Cancer Registry, 2010-2014.

Authors: Kahl, Amanda R; Charlton, Mary E; Pagedar, Nitin A; Sperry, Steven M; Matt, Bobbi; Platz, Charles; Lynch, Charles F

Published In Head Neck, (2018 Oct)

Abstract: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Cancer Registries (SEER) began collecting human papillomavirus (HPV) status for upper aerodigestive tract cancers in 2010. However, classification of p16-testing was not included in the Collaborative Stage coding guidelines, potentially leading to inconsistent coding.The HPV values for Iowa patients with oropharyngeal cancers (n = 824) were recoded based on modified guidelines that included p16 test results, and compared with the original guidelines.Forty percent of patients were recoded to a different value, and the HPV testing rate increased from 45% to 55%; 56% received p16-testing only. Of those originally coded as HPV-type 16 (n = 187), 89% were recoded to HPV-not otherwise specified (NOS). When comparing high-level positive/negative/not done categories, original coding captured 81% of patients with HPV-positive cancers.p16 was the most common HPV test but was inconsistently coded as HPV-testing. p16-positivity was also erroneously equated with HPV-type 16. Adding a separate p16 variable would improve consistency and accuracy of HPV coding.

PubMed ID: 29934978

MeSH Terms: Adult; Aged; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/epidemiology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/virology; Clinical Coding; DNA, Viral/analysis; Female; Humans; Iowa/epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms/epidemiology*; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms/virology*; Papillomaviridae/genetics; Papillomavirus Infections/epidemiology*; Public Health Surveillance; Registries; SEER Program