High prevalence of human papillomavirus transcripts in all grades of cervical intraepithelial glandular neoplasia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Cervical biopsy specimens containing cervical intraepithelial glandular neoplasia (CIGN) were examined for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) RNA transcripts by in situ hybridization with iodine 125 labeled riboprobes. HPV RNA was detectable in 95.2% of biopsy specimens. HPV 16 RNA was present in 12, HPV 18 in 27, and both in 1 of the 42 cases examined. Among HPV-positive cases, HPV RNA was detectable in all grades of CIGN and, in three cases, in glands displaying only minimal nuclear abnormality insufficient for a diagnosis of CIGN. Patients with HPV RNA-positive CIGN were younger than those with negative findings for HPV, and patients with less severe grades of CIGN showed a trend toward a younger age of presentation than patients with severe glandular lesions. Increasing grades of CIGN may reflect progressive stages in the development of cervical adenocarcinoma, and this progression may closely involve HPV gene expression from its earliest stages.