title: The frequency of human papillomavirus infection in polish patients with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vulvar cancer is a rare condition representing about 4% of all female genital tract tumors. In contrast to the established relationship of virtually all cervical cancer cases with the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the reported HPV positivity in vulvar carcinoma ranges widely.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test, we investigated the HPV incidence in a group of 46 Polish patients with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (age range, 37-93 years; median age, 70.2 years) in clinical stages T1-2, N0-2, and M0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of HPV DNA was confirmed in 7 of 46 (15%) primary tumor samples. HPV 16 was found in 5 tumors (71%). HPVs 6 and 58 were detected in the remaining 2 cases of virus-associated tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that a fraction of cancers of vulva associated with HPV is insignificant, given the HPV prevalence of 8.6% in the Polish population aged 55 to 59 years (the oldest cohort of Polish women studied to date).
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology, 5 W.K. Roentgena, 02-781 Warsaw, Poland. magdak@coi.waw.pl
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kowalewska
authors.forename: Marek Tomasz
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Szkoda
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Radziszewski
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ptaszynski
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bidzinski
authors.forename: Janusz Aleksander
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Siedlecki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D011044:Poland; D011379:Prognosis; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral