Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in esophageal precancer lesions and squamous cell carcinomas from China

A series of 51 biopsies derived from the same number of patients with established invasive squamous-cell carcinoma of the esophagus in Linxian, a high-risk area for esophageal cancer in China, were analyzed histologically and by in situ DNA hybridization to demonstrate human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Epithelial changes suggesting HPV infection within or adjacent to the carcinoma lesions were found in 25 cases (49.0%). Esophageal lesions with HPV morphology showed both flat (25 cases) and inverted condylomas (2 cases) resembling those found in the genital tract. HPV 6, 11, 16 or 18 DNA sequences were detected in 22/51 (43.1%) of the esophageal specimens. HPV DNA was most frequently localized in epithelium adjacent to carcinomas in areas showing either epithelial hyperplasia (36.1%) or dysplasia (22.2%). Of the lesions with morphological HPV changes, 64% (16/22) were shown to contain HPV DNA. In 2 specimens, HPV DNA was found in frankly malignant cells. High-risk types HPV 16 and/or 18 DNA sequences were found in 16 of the 22 HPV DNA-positive cases (72.7%). Our results confirm previously reported HPV involvement in esophageal squamous-cell lesions, and support the hypothesis of HPV as a possible etiological agent in esophageal carcinogenesis.     

Identification of a novel human papillomavirus (HPV97) related to HPV18 and HPV45

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 97 was identified and the genome was cloned from cervicovaginal cells of a Costa Rican woman with a normal Pap smear. The HPV97 L1 open reading frame (ORF) was most closely related to HPV45 (84% identity) and HPV18 (79% identity), placing it into the high-risk alpha7 species. Ectopic expression of the HPV97 E6 and E7 proteins significantly decreased steady state p53 and pRb levels using an in vitro cotransfection assay, respectively. These data suggest that HPV97 shares a most recent common ancestor with HPV18 and HPV45 and should be evaluated in cancer specimens from different geographic populations.     

Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in penile carcinomas and in two cell lines from high-incidence areas for genital cancers in Africa.

Biopsies of 13 penile cancers (PC), from patients living in regions of Uganda with a high incidence of genital cancers, were studied for the presence, molecular characteristics and physical state of DNA related to that of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33. HPV DNA sequences were detected in all PC specimens by dot/Southern blot analyses and by gene amplification of DNA sequences highly conserved among several HPVs. HPV 16 DNA sequences were found in one PC; DNA sequences with low homology to HPV16 or HPV18 were present in all other samples. Viral DNA is primarily integrated in the cellular DNA. To isolate and characterize a possible highly oncogenic HPV, a genomic library of the DNA extracted from the PC-8 biopsy has been constructed in the EcoRI arms of the EMBL4 phage. A single phage containing 8.30-kb HPV16-related sequences has been identified and the 3 segments of 0.45, 0.65 and 7.2 kb, released by EcoRI digestion, have been independently subcloned in pUC18 for further analysis.     

A prospective study of the relationship between prediagnostic human papillomavirus seropositivity and HPV DNA in subsequent cervical carcinomas

Several prospective studies with invasive carcinoma as endpoint have supported Human Papillomavirus as a cause of cervical carcinoma. However, the largest study used seroepidemiology and did not analyse presence of Human Papillomavirus DNA in the subsequent tumour. Linkage of serum bank registries and cancer registries had identified 196 women with a registered cervical carcinoma after donation of a serum sample. For the present study, biopsies for 127 cases could be located, verified to contain invasive carcinoma and be amplified by PCR. Three control women who had remained alive and without cervical carcinoma during an equal length of follow-up had been matched to each of the case women and tested for HPV antibodies. Presence of Human Papillomavirus DNA in the tumours was analysed by general primer and type specific PCR. HPV16-seropositive women had a relative risk of 4.4 (95% CI: 2.2-8.8) to develop cervical carcinoma carrying HPV16 DNA. By contrast, there was no excess risk for Human Papillomavirus 16-seropositive women to develop cervical carcinoma devoid of HPV16 DNA. Prediagnostic HPV16 seropositivity was strongly correlated with later HPV16 DNA positivity of the tumour (P<0.001) and prediagnostic HPV18 seropositivity correlated with HPV18 DNA in the tumour (P<0.03). The link between prediagnostic seropositivity and type of viral DNA in the cancer implies that the carcinogenic effect of infection with these viruses is dependent on persistent presence of type-specific viral DNA.     

Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV vaccination in an Australian cohort

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) is increasing in incidence, yet very little is known about oral HPV infection in the general population. In this Australian-based study we assess oral HPV prevalence according to HPV vaccination status. Participants of the Oral Diversity Study were Australian residents, aged 18 to 70 years, who filled out a questionnaire about lifestyle and sexual behaviour, and donated a saliva sample in 2020 to 2021. We obtained permission to access HPV vaccination status through record linkage with the Australian Immunisation Register. Saliva samples were DNA extracted, DNA quality checked and analysed for HPV. We recruited 1023 participants to the Oral Diversity Study. Nine hundred twenty-one returned a saliva sample for analysis, 911 passed the DNA quality check and were included in the study. The oral HPV prevalence was 7.2%, and was strongly associated with sexual behaviours. We identified 27 different HPV types; 53% of participants carried high-risk HPV types, with no difference between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated groups (53% both, P = .979). Two hundred thirty participants (26%) were HPV vaccinated. The oral prevalence of the nine HPV types included in the nonavalent HPV vaccine was significantly lower in the vaccinated participants compared to the unvaccinated (0.9% vs 3.4%; P = .022). These findings suggest that a sizeable minority of Australian residents harbour oral HPV infections, and many of these are high-risk subtypes. We found some evidence that HPV vaccination resulted in lower prevalence of oral HPV infections of vaccine-specific types. Larger surveys are required to confirm these findings.     

Analysis of human genital warts (condylomata acuminata) and other genital tumors for human papillomavirus type 6 DNA

The following studies were undertaken to determine the levels of serum carotene and vitamin A (retinol) in Egyptian patients with intestinal, urinary, hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, and bladder cancer. These studies have shown that both serum carotene and serum retinol levels are significantly reduced in patients with bladder cancer when compared to controls. These data, when viewed in light of previous animal studies noted, raise the question as to whether vitamin A administration can be beneficial in the prevention and/or treatment of human bladder cancer, particularly that associated with schistosomiasis.     

Investigation of human papillomavirus DNA in colorectal carcinomas and adenomas

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been considered to be an etiological agent for anogenital cancers, such as cervical cancer and possibly a subset of cancers of the aerodigestive tract. The aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of human papillomavirus DNA in colorectal carcinomas and adenomas. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded archival tissue samples were used for DNA extraction. One hundred and six colorectal carcinomas and 62 adenomas were screened by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HPV DNA with a control group of 49 cervical tissues with invasive cervical carcinoma and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). In the study group, we did not find HPV DNA positivity in any of all the colorectal carcinomas and adenomas. In the control group with cervical lesions, 34 out of 49 (69.4%) samples were positive for the HPV DNA. These results indicated that there was no correlation between HPV infection and colorectal carcinomas and adenomas.     

Prevalence of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Vanuatu

To provide information on human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and the distribution of individual HPV types in Pacific Islands, we conducted a population-based survey in Vanuatu, South Pacific. Nine hundred and eighty-seven women between 18 and 64 years of age were included. GP5(+)/6(+)-mediated PCR assay was used for HPV testing. The prevalence of 44 HPV types was 28.4% corresponding to an age (world)-standardized prevalence of 25.0% [95% confidence interval (CI), 21.9%-28.0%]. The prevalence of high-risk (HR) HPV types was 21.7% (age-standardized prevalence of 19.2%; 95% CI, 16.4%-22.0%). Among 840 women with adequate cytologic results, 13.6% showed cervical abnormalities, including 3.6% with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and 0.8% with invasive cervical carcinoma. HPV prevalence declined from 46.1% in women aged ≤21 to 15.3% in those ≥45 years. Being single was significantly associated with HPV positivity. HR HPV findings by PCR assay and hybrid capture 2 (HC2; conducted in Vanuatu) were moderately correlated (κ test = 0.59). The positive predictive values of HR HPV positivity for HSIL or worse were 27.6% for PCR and 35.2% for HC2 among women aged ≥30. Nearly half of screening-positive women could not be reevaluated mainly on account of the difficulty to trace back women. The availability of a rapid HPV testing method that allows see-and-treat approaches at the same visit would be, therefore, essential. On account of their high cumulative burden of cervical lesions, also women older than 40 years should be included in at least the first screening round in unscreened populations.     

Relation between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cancer of uterine cervix

HPV-DNA fragments were detected in biopsy specimens (29 cases of cancer of uterine cervix, 2 cervical dysplasia and 9 normal cervix) using DNA hybridization technique. It was demonstrated that 52% of biopsy specimens of the cancer of uterine cervix was positive for HPV 16 DNA probe, while 9% was positive for HPV 18 DNA probe. 11% of non-cancerous biopsy specimens had a positive result for HPV 16 DNA probe. It was also demonstrated that the positive rate of HPV 16 DNA was 75% in grossly cauliflower and nodular type tumors but only 25% in erosion type. It seems that the positive rate of HPV 16 DNA is correlated to gross appearance of the tumor. The positive rates of HPV 16 DNA were different in 6 provinces in China. It was 64% in Shanxi Province, a high incidence area but 36% in Sichuan Province, a low incidence area. These results suggest that the carcinogenesis of cancer of the uterine cervix, be related to HPV infection.     

Laryngeal cancer and human papillomavirus: HPV is absent in the majority of laryngeal carcinomas

Thirty laryngeal carcinomas from patients without pre-existing laryngeal papillomatosis were examined by PCR for the presence of HPV DNA. The utmost care was taken during sectioning of the tissue blocks and DNA-extraction in order to avoid false positive results. Three pairs of consensus primers were used: MY9/MY11, GP5+/GP6+ and CPI/CPII. HPV was detected in 1/30 carcinomas. The HPV type present could not be determined, but it was not type 6, 11, 13, 16, 18, 30, 31, 33, 35 or 45. In other studies the reported frequency of HPV in laryngeal carcinomas, as estimated by PCR, varies between 3-85%. The reasons for this unacceptable variation in reported results are discussed. The present results indicate that HPV DNA does not have a major role in malignant tumours of the larynx in patients without pre-existing recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis.     

Partial characterization of viral DNA from human genital warts (Condylomata acuminata)

By centrifuging total cellular DNA derived from human genital warts (condylomata acuminata) in CsCl-ethidium bromide gradients, supercoiled DNA was isolated. The molecular weight of this DNA was determined by agarose gel electrophoresis and amounted to 5.1 X 10(4). This DNA isolated from an individual genital wart was annealed to fractions of aqueous supernatants of the same wart after prior centrifugation of this material in CsCl density gradients. Annealing was observed at a density of approximately 1.32 g/ml corresponding to the expected density of papilloma virus particles. Since such particles were also observed in the same preparation by electron microscopy, it was concluded that the supercoiled DNA molecules were derived from papilloma virus nucleocapsids. Positive hybridization was found with six additional preparations from individual genital warts. Therefore, it seems that the isolated DNA prevails in condylomata acuminata. The DNA is different from the other five types of human papilloma viruses described thus far in regard to its restriction endonuclease cleavage patterns. The virus analyzed is tentatively designated as human papilloma virus type 6 (HPV 6).     

Correlation of cervical carcinoma and precancerous lesions with human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes detected with the HPV DNA chip microarray method

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is considered to play an important role in the development of cervical carcinoma, and it is known that certain HPV types, such as HPV-16 and HPV-18, are highly associated with cervical carcinoma. However, the pathologic behavior of other HPV types remains unclear. Recently, a new HPV detection technique, the HPV DNA chip, was introduced. The HPV DNA chip harbors 22 HPV probes and has the advantage of being able to detect 22 HPV types simultaneously. To evaluate the quality of the HPV DNA chip method and to identify HPV types related to cervical carcinoma and precancerous lesions, the authors performed HPV typing in cervical specimens from 1983 patients and compared their cytologic and histologic diagnoses. METHODS: The HPV DNA chip was used for HPV typing. Among 1983 patients who were tested for HPV types, cervical smear cytology was performed in 1650 patients, and 677 of those patients underwent cervical biopsy. RESULTS: Among the 1650 smears that were examined cytologically, 92.7% (114 of 123 smears) of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSILs), 98.1% (106 of 108 smears) of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs), and 96.3% (51 of 53 smears) of carcinomas were HPV positive, compared with only 35.1% of smears with normal cytology that were HPV positive. HPV-16 was the most prevalent type (chi-square test; P < 0.01) in LSILs (28.5%), in HSILs (51.9%), and in carcinomas (62.5%) followed by HPV-58 and a group of low-risk types (HPV-6, HPV-11, HPV-34, HPV-40, HPV-42, HPV-43,and HPV-44) in LSILs. HPV-58 (15.7%), HPV-18 (6.7%), and HPV-52 (4.6%) were the next most prevalent types after HPV-16 in HSILs. HPV-18 (11.4%) and HPV-58 (11.4%) were the second most common types in carcinomas. HPV-58 had the highest positive predictive value (54.9%) for the detection of histologically confirmed HSIL or carcinoma, whereas HPV 16 had the highest negative predictive value (80.6%). The sensitivity (96.0%) of the HPV test using the DNA chip method for detecting HSIL or carcinoma was superior compared with the sensitivity of cytologic diagnosis (83.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The HPV DNA chip provides a very sensitive method for detecting 22 HPV genotypes with reasonable sensitivity (96.0%) and reasonable negative predictive value (96.9%), and it overcomes the low sensitivity of cytologic screening for the detection of HSIL or carcinoma. HPV-58, HPV-52, and HPV-56, as well as HPV-16 and HPV-18, were associated highly with HSIL and carcinoma in the current large series. In addition, multiple HPV infection was associated less frequently with cervical carcinoma and with precancerous lesions compared with normal cytology.     

Detection of human papilloma virus (HPV) and K-ras mutations in human lung carcinomas

The purpose of our study was to assess the prevalence and prognostic significance of HPV infection as well as K-ras codon 12 point mutations in lung cancer. Patients diagnosed with lung carcinoma between 1988 and 1992 (N=99) were selected. HPV detection and typing was performed by PCR from paraffin-embedded tissues, while mutations in codon 12 of K-ras gene were detected using the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The prevalence of HPV infection was 15%, while K-ras codon 12 point mutations were found in 18% of the specimens examined. In 50% of the HPV-positive cases, K-ras gene mutation coexisted. HPV 18 was the most frequent type. No correlation was found between K-ras mutation and HPV infection with sex, age and clinical outcome of the patient, or the histological type and the differentiation grade of the tumor. An association was found between K-ms codon 12 point mutations and the stage of the tumor, occurring more frequently at stage III (p=0.037). Infection with potentially oncogenic HPV types could co-operate with K-ras gene activation in the progression of the disease, since K-ras activation by point mutations seems to be a late event in lung carcinogenesis.     

Two new human papillomavirus types (HPV54 and 55) characterized from genital tumours illustrate the plurality of genital HPVs

The genomes of two new human papillomavirus (HPV) types, named HPV54 and HPV55, were cloned from penile lesions of 2 patients. HPV54 was isolated from a verrucous carcinoma (Buschke-L?wenstein tumour) together with full-length HPV6 genomes and HPV6 DNA molecules with a deletion of about 0.3 kb located in the non-coding region. HPV55 was isolated from a condyloma acuminatum. No cross-hybridization was observed between HPV54 DNA and the DNAs of the known cutaneous and genital HPVs by blot hybridization experiments performed under stringent conditions. In contrast, significant cross-hybridization was detected between HPV55 DNA and the DNA of HPV13, associated with benign oral lesions, and, to a lesser extent, with the DNAs of HPV6, 11, and 44, associated with benign genital proliferative lesions. The DNA sequence homology between HPV55 and HPV6, 11, and 13 was estimated at 12%, 12%, and 20%, respectively, by hybridization in liquid phase at saturation, followed by nuclease S1 analysis. The physical maps of HPV54 and 55 were aligned with the genetic maps of HPV16 and 11, respectively, by heteroduplex mapping and partial DNA sequencing. HPV54 is thus only weakly related to the known HPVs, while HPV55 represents an additional HPV6-related HPV type. HPV54 and HPV55 are uncommon genital HPV types since, in a survey of a large series of specimens of benign, pre-malignant or malignant anogenital and orolaryngeal tumours, HPV54 was not detected, and HPV55 was found in another case of condyloma acuminatum.     

Deep sequencing detects human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical cancers negative for HPV by PCR

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary cause of cervical cancer, although some invasive cervical cancers may test negative by HPV PCR. We previously requested all invasive cervical cancers in Sweden during 10 years and subjected them to PCR. We also optimised methods for deep sequencing of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples.Methods Using Novaseq 6000, we simultaneously sequenced total DNA and cDNA from 392 HPV PCR-negative cervical cancers. Non-human reads were queried against all known HPVs. The complete database now contains PCR and/or deep sequencing data on 2850 invasive cervical cancers.Results HPV sequences were detected in 169/392 of HPV PCR-negative cervical cancers. Overall, 30 different HPV types were detected, but only 5 types were present in proportions above 3% of cancers. More than 92% of tumours were HPV-positive in PCR and/or sequencing (95% confidence interval: 91.1–93.1%). Exploring possible reasons for failure to previously detect HPV suggest that more sensitive type-specific PCRs for HPV 31, 33, 45 and 73 targeting retained regions of HPV would have detected most of these (117/392).Conclusions Unbiased deep sequencing provides comprehensive data on HPV types in cervical cancers and appears to be an important tool for quality assurance of HPV screening.Subject terms: Infectious-disease diagnostics, Viral infection, Cervical cancer