Table 1.

Main usual characteristics of HPV-positive vs. HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC).

Main Characteristics	HPV-Positive OPSCC	HPV-Negative OPSCC
Gender	Male >> female	Male >> female
Alcohol/tobacco	Low consumption	High consumption
General health status	Good	Poor, high comorbidity level
Educ./economic level	High	Low
Tumor location	Tongue base and tonsils	All parts of the oropharynx
Primary tumor	T1/T2, superficial/exophytic tumor	T3/T4, ulcerative and infiltrative tumor
Lymph-node involvement	Extremely frequent, multiple, cystic neck mass(es)	Moderately frequent, limited number of metastases
Second primary cancer	Very low risk	10 to 15% (head and neck, lung, esophagus +++)
Sensitivity to RT/CT	High	Variable, low to moderate
Prognosis	Good	Poor to intermediate

Educ.: educational; RT: radiation therapy; CT: chemotherapy.