Human papillomaviruses do not play an aetiological role in Müllerian adenosarcomas of the uterine cervix.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if human papillomaviruses (HPVs) play a role in the histogenesis of adenosarcomas of the uterine cervix.


METHODS
Nine archival cases of primary cervical adenosarcoma were studied. The HPV status of the nine histologically proven tumours was investigated by non-isotopic in situ hybridisation (NISH) and PCR. NISH was performed using digoxigenin labelled probes to HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33. PCR used GP5+/GP6+ primers to the HPV L1 gene.


RESULTS
Neither the benign epithelial components nor the malignant stromal components of the 9 neoplasms harboured nuclear NISH signals for the HPV types investigated. Amplimers of the HPV L1 gene were not detected by PCR in any of the tumours studied.


CONCLUSIONS
HPVs do not appear to play an aetiological role in cervical adenosarcomas. This suggests that a different histogenetic pathway for this rare tumour type must exist.
Division of Anatomical Pathology, School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and the National Health Laboratory Service, Republic of South Africa.
E
E
Mumba
H
H
Ali
D
D
Turton
K
K
Cooper
W
W
Grayson
D018195:Adenosarcoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000821:virology; D003127:Colposcopy; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*
D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral