Cc. Pao et al., PREVALENCE OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DNA-SEQUENCES IN AN AREA WITH VERYHIGH-INCIDENCE OF CERVICAL-CARCINOMA, British Journal of Cancer, 70(4), 1994, pp. 694-696
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.