Detection of human papillomavirus genotypes in cervical neoplasia from Korean women using polymerase chain reaction

The histopathologic features of cervical dysplasia (20 cases) and cervical carcinoma (15 cases) in Korean women were correlated with the presence of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) as determined by polymerase chain reaction technology on paraffin-processed specimens. A segment of the E6 open reading frame of several HPV types (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, and 35) was amplified using primers which were synthesized to contain 50% G + C, in order to give optimum annealing for the amplification of HPVs. All specimens were also tested for amplification of the cellular β-globin gene. HPV was found in 19 (54%) cases. The HPV types were HPV 6 in 1 case (3%), HPV 16 in 15 cases (43%), HPV 18 in 2 cases (6%), and HPV 33 in 3 cases (9%). HPV was identified in 16 of 25 (64%) β-globin-positive and 3 of 10 (30%) β-globin-negative tissues. HPV types 11, 31, and 35 were not detected in any of the specimens. HPV 6, 18, and 33 were detected only in preneoplastic lesions, and co-infection with these three viruses was observed in one case of severe dysplasia. HPV type 16 was found in 8 (40%) premalignant lesions and in 7 (47%) invasive carcinomas. These data indicate that HPVs are found along the entire spectrum of cervical neoplasia. HPV 16 was the predominant virus in invasive cancer of the cervix.