title: Human papillomavirus-16 presence and physical status in lung carcinomas from Asia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although human papillomavirus (HPV) genome has been detected in lung cancer, its prevalence is highly variable around the world. Higher frequencies have been reported in far-east Asian countries, when compared with European countries. The present study analysed the HPV-16 presence in 60 lung carcinomas from the Asian countries China, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HPV-16 was present in 8/59 (13%) samples. According to histological type, HPV-16 was detected in 8/18 (44%) squamous cell carcinomas (SQCs), which were mainly from Pakistan; 0/38 (0%) adenocarcinomas (ACs), which were mainly from China; and in 0/4 (0%) small cell carcinomas (SCLCs). The observed histological difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). HPV-16 viral load was also determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); it ranged between 411 to 2345 copies/100 ng of genomic DNA. HPV-16 genome was found integrated into the host genome in every HPV-16 positive carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results support the notion that HPV-16 infection is highly associated with SQCs in Pakistan. Our results show a frequent HPV-16 integration in SQCs, although the low viral load casts doubt respect a direct etiological role of HPV in lung carcinomas from Asia. Additional HPV-16 characterization is necessary to establish a direct or indirect etiological role of HPV in this malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8544, Japan. akiba@m.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aguayo
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anwar
authors.forename: Chihaya
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koriyama
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Quanfu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morewaya
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eizuru
authors.forename: Suminori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akiba