Prevalence and management of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) in the UK: cross-sectional study

Our experience in developing and operating the Airway Intervention Registry for Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (AIR-RRP): national data collection

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is characterised by benign wart-like growths in the respiratory tract caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). These warts vary in size and grow quickly, causing voice changes and airway obstruction. Whilst the condition is rare, RRP is more common and aggressive in children. There is currently no curative treatment for HPV, therefore RRP is managed by maintaining a safe airway and a serviceable voice by repeated surgery to remove the growths. A lack of specific diagnostic codes prevents reliable case ascertainment of RRP from routine administrative databases such as Hospital Episode Statistics. In 2017 a cross-sectional survey identified 918 RRP patients in the UK, half of whom had received surgical intervention for RRP in the previous 12 months with 16 different interventions. Randomised controlled trials for RRP interventions are difficult due to the rarity of the disease, variation in severity and progression and non-standard care across the NHS. Consequently, there is a lack of definitive efficacy and safety evidence. The only national guidance for RRP interventions is "Radiofrequency cold ablation for respiratory papillomatosis" (NICE IPG434, 2017) which recommended further data collection due to lack of evidence. However, due to the wide variation in RRP management across the NHS, clinical opinion favoured that any data collection should include a comparison of safety and efficacy of all RRP interventions in order to advise which improved patient outcomes and quality of life. To address lack of evidence, and inform the future care of RRP patients, we developed a registry and used it to collect real-world data from patients receiving treatment for RRP in NHS hospitals across the UK. The purpose of this paper is to share lessons learned from this national data collection exercise to inform future clinical registry development.

HPV-Associated Benign Squamous Cell Papillomas in the Upper Aero-Digestive Tract and Their Malignant Potential

Squamous cell papilloma (SCP) in the upper aero-digestive tract is a rare disease entity with bimodal age presentation both at childhood and in adults. It originates from stratified squamous and/or respiratory epithelium. Traditionally, SCPs have been linked to chemical or mechanical irritation but, since the 1980s, they have also been associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Approximately 30% of the head and neck SCPs are associated with HPV infection, with this association being highest for laryngeal papillomas (76–94%), followed by oral (27–48%), sinonasal (25–40%), and oropharyngeal papillomas (6–7%). There is, however, a wide variation in HPV prevalence, the highest being in esophageal SCPs (11–57%). HPV6 and HPV11 are the two main HPV genotypes present, but these are also high-risk HPVs as they are infrequently detected. Some 20% of the oral and oropharyngeal papillomas also contain cutaneous HPV genotypes. Despite their benign morphology, some SCPs tend to recur and even undergo malignant transformation. The highest malignant potential is associated with sinonasal inverted papillomas (7–11%). This review discusses the evidence regarding HPV etiology of benign SCPs in the upper aero-digestive tract and their HPV-related malignant transformation. In addition, studies on HPV exposure at an early age are discussed, as are the animal models shedding light on HPV transmission, viral latency, and its reactivation.

Pharmacotherapy for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP): a treatment update

Introduction: Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is a rare human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced condition where warts grow within the airway and especially the larynx to effect voice and restrict breathing.Areas covered: A PubMed search using the following search terms was performed: respiratory papillomatosis and cidofovir, alpha-interferon, bevacizumab, PD1, and HPV vaccines. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment. There has been a change in options available for adjuvant therapies with systemic bevacizumab and the potential benefits of prophylactic HPV vaccine. Despite efforts to identify a drug therapy to control RRP, no therapy yet remains which is predictable and effective in all. The current status of therapeutic vaccines and immunotherapy is discussed.Expert opinion: The current adjuvant therapies do offer a reasonable expectation of control but the effect for the individual is unpredictable despite the therapies being based on good science. The current therapies would allow an escalating treatment strategy to be formulated, however a single therapy is unlikely to be curative. Multi-center trials are required such that adequate numbers to show an effect are achieved.

Estimated incidence of juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in Korea

OBJECTIVES

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11 and is potentially preventable through vaccination. This study estimated the incidence of juvenile-onset RRP before the implementation of the national HPV vaccination program in Korea.

METHODS

We conducted a cohort study using claims data provided by a mandatory insurance program to estimate the incidence of RRP and associated healthcare use. Patients with juvenile RRP were defined as those aged ≤12 years with ≥2 admissions or ≥2 outpatient visits during which they received the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision code for benign neoplasms of the larynx (D14.1).

RESULTS

During 2002-2014, 123 children (74 boys and 49 girls) were diagnosed with RRP. The patients had a mean of 6.5 person-years of follow-up. The incidence was estimated at 0.30/100,000 person-years. The median age at diagnosis was 4.0 years (mean, 4.3). Thirty-six (29.3%) patients underwent surgery, including 23 patients (18.7%) who underwent 2 or more surgical procedures. Severe disease, measured by more frequent surgical procedures and shorter time intervals between consecutive operations, was associated with a younger age at diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The estimated incidence of juvenile-onset RRP in Korea was similar to that reported in other countries. The RRP burden should continue to be monitored using National Health Insurance Service claims data.

Trends in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis treatment

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) consist of benign tumours along the airway caused by human papillomavirus infection. Papillomas may cause changes in phonation and obstruct the airway. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the different surgical and adjuvant therapies available for the treatment of this condition reported between 2014-2018. A PubMed search was performed for RRP treatment articles published between 2014 -2018. Forty articles that encompassed 1425 patients with RRP met the criteria. Of these, 24 articles evaluate the use of adjuvant therapies such as bevacizumab, human papillomavirus vaccine and cidofovir. There has been an increase in adjuvant therapy options for RRP in the literature in recent years. An awareness of these options highlights gaps and opportunities in the care of these patients, opens the door to new protocols to control disease and increase intersurgical intervals, and guides us towards new management paradigms in the future.

Human papillomavirus types causing recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in Zimbabwe

OBJECTIVE

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) is preventable through vaccination. This study was motivated by the recent thrust of the Zimbabwean government to reduce incidence of HPV related cervical cancer in Zimbabwe through vaccination against HPV. We therefore set out to type HPV genotypes causing RRP in Zimbabwe. We also describe for the first time, the demographics of Zimbabwean RRP patients, the characteristics of patients with different HPV types and possible risk factors of HPV infection in our setting.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective, hospital based study were patients were recruited from two national otorhinolaryngology hospitals in Zimbabwe. All patients diagnosed with RRP during a twenty four month period were included in the study. A questionnaire was administered per patient to collect both demographic and clinical variables. HPV DNA was extracted from formalin fixed paraffin embedded laryngeal tissue. The extracted HPV DNA was amplified using polymerase chain reaction and next generation sequencing was used to genotype the HPV types.

RESULTS

A total of 52 patients all aged 14 years and under were recruited into the study. Only Juvenile onset RRP cases were observed over the two year period and 64% of the patients were HPV positive. HPV types 6 and 11 were the dominant types observed constituting 85% of all HPV types. The remaining 15% constituted of HPV 16 and HPV 18. 27% of the patients had coinfection with at least two different HPV types. There were no statistically significant differences between the characteristics of HPV positive and HPV negative patients. No statistically significant risk factors were observed.

CONCLUSION

HPV types 6 and 11 were the predominant genotypes causing RRP in Zimbabwe. Thus the use of quadrivalent or even nonavalent HPV vaccines may play an important role in the prevention and management of RRP in Zimbabwe.

The low-risk papillomaviruses

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) research has been dominated by the study of a subset of Alpha papillomaviruses that together cause almost 5% of human cancers worldwide, with the focus being on the two most prominent of these (HPV16 and 18). These viruses are referred to as 'high-risk' (hrHPV), to distinguish them from the over 200 prevalent HPV types that more commonly cause only benign epithelial lesions. The 'low-risk' (lrHPV) term used to describe this group belies their cumulative morbidity. Persistent laryngeal papillomas, which occur rarely in children and adults, require regular surgical de-bulking to allow breathing. Such infections are not curable, and despite being caused by HPV11 (a lrHPV) are associated with 1-3% risk of cancer progression if not resolved. Similarly, the ubiquitous Beta HPV types, which commonly cause asymptomatic infections at cutaneous sites, can sometimes cause debilitating papillomatosis with associated cancer risk. Recalcitrant genital warts, which affect 1 in 200 young adults in the general population, and even the ubiquitous common warts and verrucas that most of us at some time experience, cannot be reliably eradicated, with treatment strategies advancing little over the last 100 years. The review highlights molecular similarities between high and low-risk HPV types, and focuses on the different pathways that the two groups use to ensure persistent infection and adequate virus shedding from the epithelial surface. Understanding the normal patterns of viral gene expression that underlie lesion formation, and which also prevent loss of the infected basal cells in established lesions, are particularly important when considering new treatment options. Finally, the common requirement for deregulated viral gene expression and genome persistence in development of cancers, unites both high and low-risk HPV types, and when considered alongside viral protein functions, provides us with a working understanding of the mechanisms that underlie HPV-associated pathology.

Impaired T Cell-dependent Humoral Immune Response Associated with Juvenile-onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis Progression

Whether humoral immunity plays a role in HPV type 6 or 11 virus-mediated Juvenile-onset Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (JORRP) remains unknown. In the present study, serum total IgG level in 44 JORRP patients was significantly decreased compared with that in 40 healthy controls. Moreover, expanded CD3⁻CD19⁺ B cells with down-regulation of CD23, CD40, HLA-DR and up-regulation of CD86 expression were found in the peripheral blood of JORRP patients. Flow cytometry analysis of B-cell compartment showed that the frequency of both CD19⁺CD27^hi plasma cells and CD19⁺CD27⁺ memory B cells were decreased in JORRP patients. Importantly, although the proportion of circulating CXCR5⁺PD1^hi Tfh cells was not changed, the function of Tfh cells were greatly impaired with reduced ability of IL-21 secretion to promote B cell maturation. Association analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method revealed that IL-21 secreting Tfh cell was positively correlated to the CD27⁺ B cell subset frequency, the serum IgG level and the frequency of recurrence in JORRP patients, but negatively correlated to the percentage of IgD⁺CD27⁻ B cell. We concluded that a reduced IL-21 secretion by Tfh cells may limit B cell maturation and antibody production in JORRP patients and Tfh cell-derived IL-21 might be associated with JORRP outcome in clinic.