Lack of detection of human papillomavirus infection by hybridization test in prostatic biopsies

ABSTRACT

To explore the possibility of finding human papillomavirus [HPV] infection in the prostate tissue of a cohort of Saudi men presenting with benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH] or prostate cancer. A cohort study on prospectively collected tissue samples was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital [KAUH], Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from March 2007 to December 2008 on a total of 56 male patients, age range 50-93 years [average 68], diagnosed as having BPH or prostate cancer. The HPV DNA hybridization by hybrid capture 2 technology was performed on prostate biopsies of these patients to detect 18 types of HPV infection, and differentiate between 2 HPV DNA groups, the low-risk types, and the high/intermediate risk types. The tissues of all the prostatic biopsies were negative for HPV DNA. Our results, using the hybridization test, indicate that it is unlikely that HPV-16 or HPV-18, or the other tested subtypes, enhance the risk of prostate cancer