title: Human papillomavirus DNA in oral squamous cell carcinomas from an African population sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is on the increase in developing countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Formalin fixed paraffin embedded blocks of OSCCs from a Black South African population sample of peri-urban and rural origin were selected as follows: Group 1 - 57 OSCCs with a mean age of 59 years; Group 2 - 43 OSCCs all cases younger than 40 years; Group 3 - 46 OSCCs with blocks containing only tumour tissue without any normal epithelium and Group 4, a control group of 38 non-neoplastic epithelial lesions. Type specific primers were used in a standard PCR to amplify a segment of the E6 region of HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HPV 11 and 16 DNA were found in one sample each from groups 1 and 2 respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HPV is not an etiologic factor in the development of OSCC in the population studied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Virology, University of Stellenbosch and Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Van Rensburg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engelbrecht
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Van Heerden
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Raubennheimer
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Schoub
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001483:Base Sequence; D044383:Black People; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D013019:South Africa
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral