SIMULTANEOUS EFFECTS OF ANEUPLOIDY AND ONCOGENIC HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUSON HISTOLOGICAL GRADE OF CERVICAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA

Objective To investigate whether ploidy and oncogenic human papillomav irus types can be correlated with the histological grade of cervical i ntraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in the same tissue sections. Design His tological data were obtained from 292 dysplastic lesions of the cervix and classified according to the CIN and the Bethesda terminologies. T he samples were analysed using Feulgen-stained image analysis cytometr y for ploidy and Human papillomaviruses DNA typing by in situ hybridis ation, respectively. Setting Colposcopy Clinic at Alfred Fournier Inst itute, Paris. Population Three hundred and forty women referred for an abnormal cervical smear. Results The ploidy data strongly segregate h igh grade from low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (aneuploidy 78% versus 21%; P < 0.0001). There was a significant association betwe en aneuploidy and the severity of the lesions (94% for CIN 3, 55% for CIN2 and 14% for CIN 1; P < 0.0001). Both classifications showed a sig nificant association of histological grade with oncogenic human papill omavirus types (HPV 16-18-33: 20% in low grade and 78% in high grade s quamous intraepithelial lesions, 31% and 75% in CIN 1 and CIN 3, respe ctively; P < 0.0001). The simultaneous effects of these viruses and pl oidy demonstrate an association in aneuploid cells between the presenc e of oncogenic human papillomavirus types and histological grade (76% and 18% in high and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, respec tively; P < 0.0001). Such an association was not observed in diploid c ells (20% in both low and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions) . Conclusion High risk human papillomavirus types do not exert an inde pendent effect on the histological grade of cervical intraepithelial n eoplasia.