Human papillomavirus and p53 polymorphism in Lithuanian cervical cancer patients.
BACKGROUND
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer for women in Lithuania. One of the important cervical cancer risk factors is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Recent literature has considered p53 allelic polymorphism to be a putative predisposing factor for cervical carcinoma development.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to elucidate the prevalence of HPV, especially HPV 16, in cervical cancer patients and in healthy women, to investigate the distribution of p53 gene 72 codon polymorphism and to correlate these to cervical cancer risk in Lithuanian women.


METHODS
588 women were included in the study: 212 women with primary diagnosed cervical cancer (case group) and 376 healthy volunteers (control group).


RESULTS
A high prevalence of HPV DNA was detected in cervical cancer patients, 92.0%, and in control women, 23.6% (P < 0.0001). HPV 16 is the most frequent HPV type in cervical cancer patients. In the case of squamous cell carcinoma, this type was detected in 55.8%, in adenocarcinoma - 35.3%. In the control group, this type was detected in 19.0%. A statistically significant difference in the distribution of p53 alleles between the case and the control groups was found.


CONCLUSIONS
Cervical cancer risk in Lithuanian patients is associated with HPV infection (OR = 75.39; 95% CI 33.61-192.98), especially HPV 16 type (OR = 100.3; 95% CI 46.05-238.59) and p53 homozygous Arg/Arg allele (OR = 2.10; 95% CI 1.10-4.19).
Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University, Cancer Prevention Division, Santariskiu 1, Vilnius, LT-08660, Lithuania. profilaktika@loc.lt
Zivile
Z
Gudleviciene
Janina
J
Didziapetriene
Marc
M
Ramael
Saule
S
Uleckiene
Konstantinas Povilas
KP
Valuckas
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D016158:Genes, p53; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*
D004279:DNA, Viral