ABSTRACT
Paraffinized tissue from Barbadian women with histologically proven gential carcinoma was subjected to a censensus polymerase chain reaction method. Nineteen patients had cervical and one, vaginal carcinoma. The histological types were 17 squamous cell carcinoma, 2 adenocarcinoma and 1 adenosquamous carcinoma. HPVDNA was detected in 18/20 (90 per cent ). HPVDNA type 16 in 13 (65 per cent ), type 33 and type 45 in 1 (5 per cent ) each and 3 (15 per cent ) could not be typed. HPVDNA, type 16, was detected in one (50 per cent ) of the two cases of adenocarcinoma and 12/17 (71 per cent ) cases of squamous cell carcinoma. DNAHPV, type 33, and type 45 were each detected in 1/17 (6 per cent ) cases of squamous cell carcinoma. No HPVDNA, type 18, was detected.