PREVALENCE OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DNA-SEQUENCES IN AN AREA WITH VERYHIGH-INCIDENCE OF CERVICAL-CARCINOMA

To improve our understanding of the relationship and possible associat ions between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the development of cervical malignancies, the presence of multiple types of HPV DNA se quences in cervical carcinoma was determined in Chinese citizens livin g in two different geographical locations where the incidences of cerv ical carcinoma are either relatively low or extremely high. HPV DNA se quences were found in 88.5% (54 of 61) of Chinese cervical carcinoma p atients living in Taiwan, where the prevalence of cervical carcinoma i s 23.7 per 100,000 women. In contrast, in LueYang in Shanxi province, an area with a very high prevalence of cervical carcinoma (1,026 per 1 00,000 women), only 57.1% (28 of 49) of Chinese cervical carcinoma pat ients were found to be infected with genital HPV. This result seems to suggest that either the presence of HPV may have different implicatio ns in different populations or HPV infection may not be the only facto r that determines the development of cervical carcinoma, at least in c ertain geographical areas. Recently acquired transient or chronic pers istent HPV infection may have a different outcome with regard to cervi cal carcinogenesis. Alternatively, other factors, such as host determi nants, may play a role in the development of cervical carcinoma.