The frequency of human papillomavirus infection in polish patients with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.
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).
Kowalewska
Magdalena
M
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
Szkoda
Marek Tomasz
MT
Radziszewski
Jakub
J
Ptaszynski
Konrad
K
Bidzinski
Mariusz
M
Siedlecki
Janusz Aleksander
JA
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
D004279:DNA, Viral