A HIGH ASSOCIATION OF ONCOGENIC HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUSES WITH CARCINOMAS OF THE FEMALE URETHRA - POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION-BASED ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE HISTOLOGICAL TYPES

Using polymerase chain reaction with type-specific human papillomaviru s type 16 and 18 primers, and general primers screening for 9 other ge notypes, we analyzed archival surgical specimens of urethral carcinoma from 18 women (17 with invasive cancer and 1 with carcinoma in situ). Human papillomavirus was detected in invasive urethral carcinoma spec imens from 10 of 17 women (59%) and in the patient with carcinoma in s itu. Human papillomavirus type 16 was found in 8 patients with invasiv e carcinoma (47%) and 1 with carcinoma in situ, and general primer pol ymerase chain reaction demonstrated human papillomavirus that could no t be typed in 2 patients (12%). Type 16 was detected in metastases fro m 4 patients; complete concordance for the presence of human papilloma virus in primary and metastatic disease was noted. Eight of 10 women w ith squamous cell carcinoma and both with transitional cell carcinoma harbored human papillomavirus; 5 women with undifferentiated carcinoma or adenocarcinoma were all negative for human papillomavirus. Concurr ently excised cervical tissue was available from 5 patients; 1 had cer vical carcinoma in situ positive for human papillomavirus of the same type as the urethral carcinoma. These findings strongly suggest that h uman papillomavirus, particularly type 16, is associated with a substa ntial number of carcinomas of the female urethra but a stratification of specific histiotypes associated with human papillomavirus may exist .