title: High-risk human papillomavirus in non-melanoma skin lesions from renal allograft recipients and immunocompetent patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs) can be detected in a proportion of non-melanoma skin cancers. Data on prevalence are inconclusive, but are essential to estimate the relevance of HR-HPV, particularly with regard to prophylactic HPV vaccines for skin cancer prevention.
  
  
  METHODS
  High-risk human papillomavirus DNA was investigated in 140 non-melanoma skin lesions from 54 immunocompetent patients and 33 immunosuppressed renal allograft recipients. Expression of p16(INK4a), a marker for HR-HPV oncogene expression in the uterine cervix, and of p53 and pRB was evaluated immunohistochemically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest prevalence of HR-HPV was found in squamous cell cancer (SCC) (46.2% (6 out of 13) in immunosuppressed and 23.5% (4 out of 17) in immunocompetent patients). High-risk human papillomavirus positivity was accompanied by diffuse p16(INK4a) expression in most SCC (P<0.001) and basal cell cancers (P=0.02), while almost all SCC in situ were p16(INK4a) positive irrespective of HR-HPV presence (P=0.66). Diffuse p16(INK4a) expression was associated with lack of pRB expression (P=0.001). p53 was strongly expressed in 40.0% (56 out of 140) of the lesions irrespective of HR-HPV presence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-risk human papillomavirus can be detected in lesions of keratinised squamous epithelia. The association of HR-HPV with diffuse p16(INK4a) expression might indicate HR-HPV oncogene expression in a proportion of lesions. Overexpression of p53 suggests p53 pathway alterations in HR-HPV-positive and -negative lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Tumor Biology, Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 220, Heidelberg 69120, Germany. miriam.reuschenbach@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reuschenbach
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Faulstich
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hartschuh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinokurova
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kloor
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krautkrämer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Knebel Doeberitz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sommerer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D052685:Alphapapillomavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000502:physiology; D016867:Immunocompromised Host / Q000502:physiology; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral