Compared with patients with psoriasis on topical treatment, patients on biologic treatment have a higher prevalence of oral HPV infection, according to a study published in Dermatologic Therapy. Filip Rob, MD, PhD, and colleagues evaluated the incidence of oral and genital HPV infection in patients with psoriasis treated with biologics or topical therapy for at least 6 months. Among 267 participants, 41.2% were on topical therapy, 31.5% on anti-TNF-α therapy, 11.6% on antiIL-12/23 therapy, and 15.7% on anti-IL-17 therapy. Across all biologic groups, the incidence of oral HPV infection was higher (11.9% for antiTNF-α, 12.9% for anti-IL-12/23, and 19.0% for anti-IL-17) compared with that of patients on topical therapy (7.3%), but statistically significant only for anti-IL-17 (P<0.05). Oral HPV infection prevalence in patients treated with biologics was notably higher (44.0%) in those on long-term biologic treatment (>8 years) compared with on biologics for a shorter duration (9.1%; P<0.01). “Long-term treatment with biologics seems to be associated with a higher prevalence of oral HPV infection, independent of previous conventional immunosuppressive therapy,” the study authors wrote.
