The pathology laboratory has a central role in providing human papillomavirus (HPV) tests for patients with head and neck cancer. There is an extensive literature around HPV testing and a large number of proprietary HPV tests, which makes the field difficult to navigate. This review provides a concise contemporary overview of the evidence around HPV testing in head and neck cancer and signposts key publications, guideline documents and the most commonly used methods in clinical practice.
Keywords: HPV; Head and neck; Immunohistochemistry; In situ hybridisation; Molecular diagnostics; p16.