title: Detection and quantitation of human papillomavirus DNA in the plasma of patients with cervical carcinoma.
abstract: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) play a central role in the development of cervical carcinoma. Plasma DNA from 232 patients taken at diagnosis or after treatment for invasive cervical cancer (n = 175) or carcinoma in situ (n = 57) and 60 normal controls were examined for HPV-16 or HPV-18 E7 DNA by conventional and real-time quantitative PCR assays. We found HPV-16 or HPV-18 E7 DNA in 6.9% (11 of 175) of invasive cervical cancer cases (18.1% of cases positive for HPV-16 or HPV-18 at the genital tract), 1.8% (1 of 57) of carcinoma in situ, and 1.7% (1 of 60) of normal controls by conventional PCR. Quantitative PCR identified the highest concentrations of HPV DNA (copy number of HPV/ml of plasma) in patients with invasive cervical cancer (mean, 11,163; median, 183.5), followed by a level of 8 in the single carcinoma in situ case and 0 copies in the normal control initially positive by conventional PCR. HPV DNA can be detected in the plasma of some patients with HPV-positive cervical tumors. It remains to be demonstrated whether quantitative PCR analysis of HPV DNA in plasma may have utility in patients at high risk of recurrent disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Head and Neck Cancer Research Division, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Seung Myung
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Sara I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.forename: Seo-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Rha
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hildesheim
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kurman
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Rodrigue
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mortel
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McGowan
authors.forename: Mitchell D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Willard A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sidransky
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral