Human papillomavirus type 16 is detected in transitional cell carcinomas and squamotransitional cell carcinomas of the cervix and endometrium

BACKGROUND. The etiologic role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in a variety of squamous neoplasms, including malignant and premalignant lesions of the cervix, is well established. The presence of HPV, predominantly HPV types 16 and 18, in adenocarcinomas of the endometrium has also been reported, although less commonly. Although rare, transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in the female genital tract, including such sites as the cervix, endometrium, and ovary, has been described. HPV, however, has not been previously studied in TCC of the female genital tract, the etiology of which is uncertain. METHODS. Eight cases of primary TCC of the endometrium and six cases of primary TCC of the cervix were retrieved from the files of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin were reviewed, and tumor tissue was obtained and analyzed for the presence of HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, and 33 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS. HPV was detected by PCR in 4 of 6 TCCs of the cervix (67%) and in 2 of 8 TCCs of the endometrium (25%), using HPV general primers and specific primers to HPV type 16. PCR for HPV using specific primers to HPV types 6 and 11, 18, 31, and 33 were negative in all cases. CONCLUSIONS. The results of this study demonstrated that HPV type 16 was present in a proportion of primary TCCs of the cervix and endometrium. These findings support the hypothesis that these rare neoplasms are similar, with regard to risk factors, to the more commonly occurring squamous cell carcinomas of the cervix, and suggest that HPV may play an etiologic role in at least a proportion of these tumors.