Overview
- Mass General Brigham researchers report in JNCI that their liquid biopsy detected circulating tumor HPV DNA years before diagnosis in archived blood samples.
- In 28 future cases versus 28 controls, the test found HPV tumor DNA in 22 cases with no false positives, rising to 27 cases with machine-learning analysis.
- The earliest standard positive occurred 7.8 years before diagnosis, and machine learning extended detection to samples collected up to 10 years prior.
- HPV-DeepSeek uses whole-genome sequencing to identify HPV DNA fragments in blood, and prior data showed about 99% sensitivity and specificity at first clinical presentation.
- The team notes there is no current screening for HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer and cautions it is unclear whether positive signals reflect invasive cancer or a precancerous state, with PLCO-based validation and screening models in progress.