HLA DQ-DR HAPLOTYPE AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CERVICAL-CARCINOMA - INDICATIONS OF INCREASED RISK FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CERVICAL-CARCINOMA IN INDIVIDUALS INFECTED WITH HPV-18

The association of HLA class II DQB1 and DRB1 alleles with the develop ment of cervical carcinoma was studied in 150 Swedish patients using P CR-based HPV and HLA typing. The association of cervical carcinoma wit h alleles encoding the DQ3 antigen, previously found among German and Norwegian patients, was not observed in the Swedish patients. Five DQ- DR haplotypes were indicated to be positively associated with developm ent of cervical carcinoma in the Swedish patients. Two of these HLA as sociations were specific for HPV 18 infected patients, suggesting that the ability of the oncogenic HPV 18 to cause more rapid-transit tumor s than other high risk HPV types may be due to a deficiency in antigen presentation by the HLA molecules encoded by carried on these haploty pes.