DETECTION OF PAPILLOMAVIRUS GENOMES AND EVIDENCE FOR AMPLIFICATION OF THE ONCOGENES C-MYC AND C-HA-RAS IN INVASIVE SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMAS OF THE UTERINE CERVIX

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 299  (14) , 575-580
Abstract
Invasive squamous cell carcinomas of the uterine cervix from 12 untreated patients were examined for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) genomes and for the state of the oncogenes c-myc and c-Ha-ras. Blot hybridization experiments have demonstrated the presence of the genome of HPV type 16 (HPV 16) in 6 tumors and that of the genomes of HPV types weakly related to HPV 16 or HPV 18 in 5 others. In the 9 tumors corresponding to advanced stages of the disease (stages 3 and 4) there was a 3-30 fold amplification of c-myc and/or c-Ha-ras. A concomitant amplification of both oncogenes was found in 8 cancers. In only 1 of the 3 tumors confined to the cervix (stage 1), the oncogene c-Ha-ras was weakly amplified. Neither HPV DNA sequences, nor oncogene amplification were detected in the leukocytes of 5 patients. It seems likely that specific HPV types play a role in the development of carcinomas of the uterine cervix, and that cellular oncogenes, activated through an amplification process, are involved in at least some steps of tumor progession.