Human papillomavirus and epithelial ovarian neoplasia

In contrast to the strong association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and squamous cell carcinoma of the lower female genital tract, no viral DNA had been found in epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Recently, however, R. H. Kaufman, J. Bornstein, A. N. Gordon, E. Adam, A. L. Kaplan, and K. Adler-Storthy [Gynecol. Oncol. 27, 340-349 (1987)] reported the detection of HPV-6 DNA by in situ hybridization in 10 of 12 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma. To further investigate the possible association between HPV and epithelial ovarian neoplasia, tumor from 12 patients with epithelial ovarian adenocarcinoma, 3 with epithelial ovarian tumors of low malignant potential, and 3 with epithelial ovarian adenomas was examined for HPV DNA by the Southern hybridization technique. All the tissues were tested under low stringency for HPV-6 and under high stringency for HPV-6, HPV-16, HPV-18, HPV-31, and HPV-35. In addition, all tissues were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of HPV-6 and HPV-11. Of the 12 patients with adenocarcinoma, 5 were poorly differentiated, 4 serous, 1 endometrioid, 1 mucinous, and 1 mixed. The neoplasms were of grades 2-4 with a predominance of stages III and IV (83%). Of the 3 patients with tumors of low malignant potential, all were serous and stage I. Of the 3 patients with adenomas, 1 was mucinous, 1 serous, and 1 Brenner. We were unable to detect HPV-related sequences in any of the specimens. On the basis of these findings, there appears to be no association between HPV and epithelial ovarian neoplasia.