HIV-1 (P24) Protein in Cervical Carcinomas.Tissue Samples [Histopathological and immunohistochemical study in Ethiopian Women]

ABSTRACT

HIV/AIDS remains the major developmental challenge for Ethiopia. Cancer cervix is the most prevalent in Ethiopian women where the HIV-1-infection increases the risk for the development of such cancers. This study was designed to identify immunohistochemically the HIV-1 directly in cervical cancer tissue samples independently from the HIV serology status of the patient. This is a retrospective study on formalin fixed and paraffin embedded cervical tissue at Pathology Unit Department of Medial Laboratory Sciences, college of Public Health and Medical Sciences Jimma University South-Western Ethiopia. The study covered 115 cervical tissues with invasive carcinoma; collected during the period of January 2008 till December 2010. The clinical data were received from the pathology biopsy request sheet. The slides were re-evaluated histopathologically and all specimens were studied immunohistochemically for identifying the HIV [P24] in the cancer cervix cells. HIV-l/p24 immunohistochemistry study of the cervical cancer tissues revealed positive immunostaining in 22 cases; 19.1%. The HIV-l/p24 was diffusely cytoplasmic with various degrees of staining intensities. Positive cytoplasmic staining was detected in the cervical epithelial cancer cells and also detected in the lymphocytes present in the intervening stroma. The identification of HIV-1 in the cytoplasm of the epithelial cervical cancer cells may contribute to cell cycle disruption or the virus itself may have a direct carcinogenic effect making it in someway for the development and progression of cancer cervix