ONCOGENIC HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUSES ARE RARELY ASSOCIATED WITH SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE BLADDER - EVALUATION BY DIFFERENTIAL POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

While a strong association between oncogenic human papillomaviruses an d squamous cell cancers of the genital tract (penis, urethra and cervi x) is known to exist, there is substantial controversy regarding the a ssociation of human papillomaviruses and cancers of the bladder. Techn ical issues regarding assay technique and concern about potential cont amination have marred interpretation of previous work. Moreover, becau se human papillomavirus has been associated predominantly with squamou s cell cancers at other sites, any involvement of human papillomavirus and bladder epithelial carcinogenesis must address whether any associ ation between human papillomavirus and squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder exists. Differential polymerase chain reaction and a rigorous protocol to avoid crossover contamination were used to analyze archiva l bladder carcinoma specimens (22 squamous cell carcinomas and 20 tran sitional cell carcinomas). Type specific primers for human papillomavi rus types 16 and 18 were used as were general primers to detect types 6b, 11, 13, 16, 18, 31, 32, 33, 35, 45 and 51. Only 1 of 22 squamous c ell carcinoma specimens (4.4%) was positive (human papillomavirus type 18)-a cadaveric renal transplant patient on chronic immunosuppression . Cervical specimens were human papillomavirus negative in this patien t. No human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid was detected in the 2 0 transitional cell carcinoma cohort. Our results confirm that these h uman papillomavirus types appear to have little association with invas ive transitional cell cancers. Of greater significance, despite this ( to our knowledge) first reported case of human papillomavirus type 18 detected in squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder (seen in an immunoc ompromised patient), we conclude that these oncogenic human papillomav irus types do not have a significant role in squamous cell carcinogene sis of the bladder.