Human papillomavirus-DNA loads in actinic keratoses exceed those in non-melanoma skin cancers.
Recent studies suggest a role of cutaneous human papillomaviruses (HPV) in non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) development. In this study viral DNA loads of six frequent HPV types were determined by quantitative, type-specific real-time-PCR (Q-PCR) in actinic keratoses (AK, n=26), NMSC (n=31), perilesional tissue (n=22), and metastases of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) (n=8) which were previously shown to be positive for HPV5, 8, 15, 20, 24, or 36. HPV-DNA loads in AK, (partially microdissected) NMSC, and perilesional skin ranged between one HPV-DNA copy per 0.02 and 14,200 cell equivalents (median: 1 HPV-DNA copy per 344 cell equivalents; n=48). In 32 of the 79 HPV-positive skin biopsies and in seven of the eight metastases viral loads were even below the detection limit of Q-PCR. Low viral loads in NMSC were confirmed by in situ-hybridization showing only a few HPV-DNA-positive nuclei per section. Viral loads in SCC, basal cell carcinomas, and perilesional tissue were similar. But, viral loads found in AK were significantly higher than in SCC (p=0.035). Our data suggest that persistence of HPV is not necessary for the maintenance of the malignant phenotype of individual NMSC cells. Although a passenger state cannot be excluded, the data are compatible with a carcinogenic role of HPV in early steps of tumor development.
Institute of Virology, University of Cologne, Koeln, Germany. Soenke.Weissenborn@medizin.uni-keolm.de
Soenke Jan
SJ
Weissenborn
Ingo
I
Nindl
Karin
K
Purdie
Catherine
C
Harwood
Charlotte
C
Proby
Judy
J
Breuer
Slawomir
S
Majewski
Herbert
H
Pfister
Ulrike
U
Wieland
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D015344:DNA Probes, HPV; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007642:Keratosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load
D015344:DNA Probes, HPV; D004279:DNA, Viral