Using polymerase chain reaction to human papillomavirus in oral and pharyngolaryngeal carcinomas.

PURPOSE: Increasingly, evidence has shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a role in the induction of certain carcinomas. The presence of HPV sequences in 56 previously untreated oral and pharyngolaryngeal carcinomas was examined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: After DNA extraction, samples underwent 40 replication cycles with specific oligonucleotide primers corresponding to sequences from the E6 open-reading frame of HPV-6b, HPV-16, and HPV-18. To determine the E6 genomic integration, positive samples were processed with specific primers for the corresponding HPV L1 genes. Genomic HPV DNA clones into PBR 322 was used as positive control. RESULTS: HPV E6 DNA of the 6b and 16 types was detected in 14 patients (25%). The L1 gene was not present. CONCLUSION: Detected HPV E6 DNA might be integrated into the cell genome in the positive cases as indicated by the absence of the L1 gene-coding for the viral capside. Histological and survival rates, were unrelated to the presence of HPV.

[Simultaneous screening of HPV-6b and 16 in pharyngolaryngeal cancer]. / Detección simultánea del HPV-6b y 16 en el cáncer faringolaríngeo.

It has been suggested that some human papilloma viruses (HPV) may play a causal role in cancer of the pharynx, larynx, and oral cavity, together with factors such as smoking, alcohol, toxins, and heredity. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we detected the two most common genotypes in pharyngolaryngeal cancer, HPV-6b and 16, in 15 patients from a series of 57 cases. One patient had both genotypes. The fact that this was the only positive case in which no other risk factors were present, particularly alcohol and smoking, suggests that the synergetic oncogenic action of both viruses could have played an important role in carcinogenesis.