HUMAN-PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPE-18 DNA-SEQUENCES IN ADENOCARCINOMA AND ADENOSQUAMOUS CARCINOMA OF THE UTERINE CERVIX

Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA sequences were detected by Southern blo t hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 10 out of 19 pa tients (52.7%) with adenocarcinoma [15] and adenosquamous [4] carcinom a of the uterine cervix. HPV 18 DNA was detected in 8 of these 19 pati ents (42.1%), HPV 16 DNA in 1 patient (5.3%) and HPV type X (unknown) in another (5.3%). Of the 10 HPV positive samples HPV 18 was found in 6 out of 6 pure adenocarcinomas (100%), and in 2 of 4 (50%) adenosquam ous carcinomas. HPV 16 and HPV X were each detected in 1 out of 4 (25% ) adenosquamous carcinomas. The physical state of the viral DNA was in vestigated in 5 of the 10 HPV-positive cases. All the specimens from t hese 5 cases showed HPV to be integrated into the host genome, except for one adenosquamous specimen, which showed both episomal and integra ted forms of HPV 16. Six of 8 HPV 18 DNA positive specimens were from cases of pure adenocarcinoma and it was found by PCR that five of thes e 6 specimens retained fragments of E6/E7, LCR/E7 and early sequence o f El fragment (sequence: 1188-1373) but deleted most part of E1.