Brief Reports
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 28, 2005; 11(8): 1200-1203
Published online Feb 28, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i8.1200
Human papillomavirus in squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus in a high-risk population
Mohammad Farhadi, Zahra Tahmasebi, Shahin Merat, Farin Kamangar, Dariush Nasrollahzadeh, Reza Malekzadeh
Mohammad Farhadi, Shahin Merat, Dariush Nasrollahzadeh, Reza Malekzadeh, Digestive Disease Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Zahra Tahmasebi, Department of Molecular Biology, Khatam Postgraduate Faculty, Tehran, Iran
Farin Kamangar, Cancer Prevention Studies Branch, US National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Professor Reza Malekzadeh, Digestive Disease Research Center, Shariati Hospital, North Kargar Avenue, Tehran 14114, Iran. malek@ams.ac.ir
Telephone: +98-21-8012992 Fax: +98-21-2253635
Received: February 11, 2004
Revised: February 14, 2004
Accepted: March 13, 2004
Published online: February 28, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the relation of human papillomavirus (HPV) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Iranian patients as compared to normal controls.

METHODS: Using MY09/MY11 consensus primers, we compared the prevalence of a HPV L1 gene in tumor tissues from 38 ESCC cases and biopsied tissues from 38 endoscopically normal Iranian individuals. We also compared the presence of HPV16 and HPV18 in the same samples using type-specific E6/E7 primers.

RESULTS: Fourteen (36.8%) of the 38 ESCC samples but only 5 (13.2%) of the 38 control samples were positive for the HPV L1 gene (P = 0.02). Five (13.2%) of the ESCC samples but none of the control samples were positive for the HPV16 E6/E7 gene (P = 0.05). Three (7.9%) of the ESCC samples and 5 (13.2%) of the control samples were positive for the HPV18 E6/E7 gene (P = 0.71).

CONCLUSION: Our data are consistent with HPV DNA studies conducted in other high-risk areas for ESCC. HPV should be considered as a potential factor contributing to the high incidence of ESCC in Iran and other high-incidence areas of the world.

Keywords: Papillomavirus, Squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus, Population