HLA-DQ alleles and human papillomavirus DNA in adult-onset laryngeal papillomatosis

Sixty-two patients with histologically confirmed adult-onset laryngeal papi lloma were clinically examined; their HLA class II DQA1 and DQB1 alleles an d the presence and type of human papillomavirus (HPV) in their laryngeal pa pilloma biopsies were determined by polymerase chain reaction-based methods . No differences in the DQA1 or DQB1 frequencies appeared between the patie nts as a group and the reference population, When the patients were divided into groups according to number of laryngeal procedures performed, no HLA association was noticed with any group, nor did the presence of HPV-6 or HP V-11 DNA in the laryngeal specimen correlate with HLA type. A suggestive as sociation was found between the DQB1*0501 allele and the 16 patients whose laryngeal biopsy was HPV-negative, but because of the small series, additio nal patients need to be studied. Earlier, the DQB1*0501 allele was reported to be protective against cervical cancer, another HPV-associated disease.