Fakhry C, et al. - Researchers designed a prospective, 2-institution, tertiary referral center study of 396 patients with newly diagnosed oral cavity or oropharyngeal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma to assess the predictive value of persistent oral human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA detection following completion of primary therapy with regard to recurrence and survival. HPV DNA was detectable in oral rinses at diagnosis in 80% of patients with HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, and it was identical to the type found in the tumor. Observations revealed a higher risk of recurrence and death from HPV-positive oral or oropharyngeal cancer in correlation to the persistent presence of HPV DNA.