Authors’ reply to Jobanputra, Chauhan and Trivedi, and Devaraja

Abstract

We thank Jobanputra,[1] Chauhan and Trivedi,[2] and Devaraja[3] for showing interest in our manuscript, published in the previous issue of the Cancer, Research, Statistics and Treatment journal.[4] The prime objective of our study was to unravel the genetics of head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with special emphasis on the human papillomavirus (HPV). Demographic analysis was performed meticulously as a part of our primary study. As our research was mainly focused on the HPV status of the patient samples, we included only crucial and extensively reported risk factors in our questionnaire (tobacco consumption, smoking, and alcohol). HPV status was identified from the collected patients’ tissue samples in our laboratory as the HPV status of the patients was not available in the medical records. Thus, obtaining information on the HPV status from the patient’s general report would be more informative and would have enabled a wider analysis. HPV testing was performed on all the tissue samples collected, and it was not restricted to a particular subset of cancers, such as oropharyngeal cancers. The results obtained delineated HPV positivity in the oropharyngeal region. Though the sample collection was performed from a single center, we had multiple patients from diverse regions of western Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Tirupur, Nilgiris, and Dharmapuri). Certain ethical constraints, a limited number of patients reporting to the hospital due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unwillingness of the patients to participate in the study were the reasons for not including a larger sample size from diverse centers across Tamil Nadu. Measures are being taken to collect samples from other hospitals and tertiary centers to conduct a large cohort study. In conclusion, we will take the readers’ comments into consideration in the work being continued in our laboratory. Financial support and sponsorship This study was supported by Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) under the Bharathiar Cancer and Theranostics Research Center (BCTRC) Scheme. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.