Evaluation of the role of human papillomavirus in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Belgium.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the putative role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the aetiology of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in Belgium.


METHODS
The frequency of HPV infection was determined using HPV DNA PCRamplification with L1 consensus primers MY09-MY11, able to recognise about 40 different HPV types, on twenty-one formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded oesophageal squamous cells carcinomas. Nineteen samples of histologically normal epithelium from the surgical margins of the OSCC specimens and five samples from normal oesophagus obtained at autopsy served as negative controls.


RESULTS
We found only one HPV positive tumour (4.8%) out of the 21 OSCC cases. All the normal epithelium controls remained negative.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data are in agreement with those previously published, suggesting that HPV infection only plays a minor role in the pathogenesis of oesophageal squamous cells carcinoma in West-European countries.
Department of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium.
M A
MA
Lambot
J
J
Haot
M O
MO
Peny
I
I
Fayt
J C
JC
Noël
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology
D004279:DNA, Viral