LABELING PATTERN OBTAINED BY NONISOTOPIC IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION AS A PROGNOSTIC FACTOR IN HPV-ASSOCIATED LESIONS

In the study of infection of the lower female genital tract caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the main concerns is the search for prognostic factors to predict the evolution of premalignant low- and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. This study has evaluated the prognostic usefulness of the patterns of positive reaction obtaine d by non-isotopic in situ hybridization (NISH), referred to as diffuse , punctate, or mixed 'labelling patterns', The study examined 141 vulv ar and uterine cervical biopsy specimens that were positive for HPV by a MSH screening technique and that had the following histological dia gnoses: low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL; n = 87); high -grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL, n = 40); and squamous ce ll carcinoma (SCC n = 14), Typing of all the specimens was carried out by MSH with DNA probes specific for HPV types 6/11 (low risk), 16/18 (high risk), and 31/33/51 (intermediate risk), and the labelling patte rn observed in each specimen was recorded, Statistical analysis of the results showed that there was a significant difference in the distrib ution of labelling patterns, both by lesion diagnosis (P less than or equal to 0.004) and by infecting viral type (P less than or equal to 1 0(-6)), Lesions with a punctate or mixed pattern are considered more l ikely to undergo malignant evolution and consequently have a worse pro gnosis than lesions with a diffuse pattern.