A MULTIFACETED STUDY OF HUMAN-PAPILLOMAVIRUS AND PROSTATE CARCINOMA

BACKGROUND. The presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the prostate and its role in prostate carcinoma are in dispute. To address these i ssues, two laboratories with extensive HPV experience were selected to test specimens from two populations at different risk for prostate ca rcinoma, using three different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and two serologic assays for HPV. METHODS, The cases were comprised of 51 African-American (men at high risk far prostate carcinoma) and 15 Italian (men at intermediate risk for prostate carcinoma) men with pro state carcinoma. Controls were 108 African-American men and 40 Italian men with histologically proven benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH). Pro state tissue was obtained from each patient at surgery and immediately frozen in Liquid nitrogen. The PCR primer sets included two (MY09/MY1 1 and GP5+/GP6+) that amplify different regions of L1 and a third (WD6 6,67,154/WD72,76) targeted to E6. Sensitivity in the 2 L1 PCR assays w as shown to be I HPV DNA genome per 100 cells. Serum antibodies to HPV -16 and HPV-11 virus-like particles (VLPs) were detected using enzyme- linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS. All available prostate carcinoma tissue specimens (n = 63) and BPH specimens from selected controls (n = 61) were tested by PCR. Human beta-globin DNA could be amplified fr om all specimens except three carcinomas, but no HPV DNA was detected in any case or control specimens by MY09/MY11 or E6 PCR. Microdissecti on of 27 carcinoma specimens was conducted to minimize nontumor DNA, b ut results remained negative by MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+ PCR. In additi on, serum specimens in cases (n = 63) and controls (n = 144) showed no differences in their responses against HPV-16 (P = 0.54) or HPV-11 VL Ps (P = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS. The findings suggest that HPV is not assoc iated with prostate carcinoma, and that HPV DNA is not at all common i n the prostate glands of older men. (C) 1998 American Cancer Society.