DETECTION OF HUMAN-PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) IN SINONASAL INVERTED PAPILLOMAS USING POLYMERASE-CHAIN-REACTION (PCR)

Paraffin-embedded tissues of 42 sinonasal inverted papillomas were sub jected to polymerase chain reaction using type-specific primers pairs of HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, and 33. Two cases of HPV 11 and one of HPV 6 wer e amplified in 36 samples of benign inverted papilloma, and two cases of HPV 16 were amplified in five samples of inverted papilloma with co -existing squamous cell carcinoma. Inverted papillomas recurred in 1 ( 16%) of 6 cases exhibiting dysplasia, and in 3 (10%) of 30 cases not e xhibiting dysplasia. Inverted papillomas also recurred in 2 (66%) of 3 cases positive for HPV, and in 2 (6%) of 33 cases negative for HPV. T hese results suggest that HPV may be involved in the pathogenesis of i nverted papillomas, may cause malignant transformation of inverted pap illomas, and that there may be an apparent relationship between HPV in fection and the recurrence of sinonasal inverted papillomas.