Tobacco use and alcohol consumption are the principal risk factors implicated in head and neck cancers, however, the presence of HPV has also been associated. Here, we sought to correlate risk factors such as socio-demographic and behavioral variables, and the presence of HPV, to head and neck cancer occurrence. During August 2016 – December 2017, paraffin embedded samples from two anatomic pathology services of two populous cities in the state of Bahia were analyzed. To detect the presence of HPV, the formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue samples were initially deparaffinized for subsequent DNA extraction. Nested-PCR was applied to detect HPV DNA, and viral subtyping was confirmed through specific PCR primer and sequencing. Most of the patients confirmed being smokers and drinkers. HPV was detected only in 7% of the samples, a histopathological diagnosed benign lesion of laryngeal papilloma (HPV 11), and a malignant lesion of the hard palate (HPV type not specified). Our findings indicated that tobacco use and alcohol consumption were correlated as the highest risk factors for the development of neoplasms. Although HPV prevalence was low, we could not neglect HPV involvement in head and neck cancers in individuals from Bahia State. Furthermore, HPV+ cancers respond better to therapy, therefore, defining the type of tumor is important to determine the most effective treatment.

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