DETECTION OF HUMAN PAPILLOMA-VIRUS (HPV) AND K-RAS MUTATIONS IN HUMANLUNG CARCINOMAS

The purpose of our study was to assess the prevalence and prognostic s ignificance of HPV infection as well as K-ras codon 12 point mutations in lung cancer. Patients diagnosed with lung carcinoma between 1988 a nd 1992 (N=99) were selected. HPV detection and typing was performed b y PCR from paraffin-embedded tissues, while mutations in codon 12 of K -ras gene were detected using the restriction fragment length polymorp hism (RFLP) analysis. The prevalence of HPV infection was 15%, while K -ras codon 12 point mutations were found in 18% of the specimens exami ned. In 50% of the HPV-positive cases, K-ras gene mutation coexisted. HPV 18 was the most frequent type. No correlation was found between K- ras mutation and HPV infection with sex, age and clinical outcome of t he patient, or the histological type and the differentiation grade of the tumor. An association was found between K-ms codon 12 point mutati ons and the stage of the tumor, occurring more frequently at stage III (p=0.037). Infection with potentially oncogenic HPV types could co-op erate with K-ras gene activation in the progression of the disease, si nce K-ras activation by point mutations seems to be a late event in lu ng carcinogenesis.