Human papillomavirus DNA is rarely detected in colorectal carcinomas and not associated with microsatellite instability: The Seattle Colon Cancer Family Registry
Menée auprès de 555 patients atteints d'un cancer colorectal diagnostiqué entre 1998 et 2002 (âge : 20 à 74 ans), cette étude montre que la présence de l'ADN du papillomavirus humain de type 16 ou 18 est peu fréquente dans les échantillons tumoraux et n'est pas associée à une instabilité des microsatellites
Background: Persistent infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types-16 and -18 is an established cause of cervical and other cancers. Some studies report detection of oncogenic HPV DNA in colorectal carcinomas, with prevalence estimates as high as 84%. However, other studies report detecting no HPV DNA in colorectal tumors. Methods: To evaluate the prevalence of HPV in colorectal cancer subsets, we conducted a case-case comparison study. This study included 555 cases of incident colorectal cancer from the Seattle Colon Cancer Family Registry (CCFR), ages 20-74, and diagnosed between 1998-2002. Standardized interviews were used to elicit demographics and risk factor data. Tumor DNA was assayed for HPV-16 and -18 DNA using real-time PCR. Microsatellite instability (MSI) status was assessed using a standard 10-marker panel and confirmed with immunohistochemical staining. Prevalence estimates were calculated for the overall sample, and stratified by patient and tumor characteristics. Fisher's exact test was used to compare prevalence between strata. Results: HPV-16 DNA was detected in 2% of colorectal tumors, but no HPV-18 DNA was detected. HPV-16 prevalence did not vary between cases according to sex, age, race, smoking-status, or MSI-status (P>0.05). HPV-16 prevalence in rectal carcinomas was 5% compared to 1% in colon carcinomas (P=0.03). Conclusions: Among a large sample of colorectal carcinomas, prevalence of HPV-16 and -18 was very low. Prior studies detecting high HPV prevalence in colorectal carcinomas are likely the result of contamination from the anal canal or clinical processing. Impact: HPV is unlikely to play a large role in colorectal carcinogenesis.