In situ hybridization and laryngeal papillomas.

The technique of in situ hybridization with biotin-labeled probes was applied to 20 patients with laryngeal papillomatosis (9 with adult-onset disease and 11 with juvenile-onset). Ten patients were noted for epithelial transformation of their laryngeal disease. All patients, regardless of their clinical outcome, tested positive for human papillomavirus group 6/11. The biotin method of in situ hybridization proved to be a sensitive method in this study, identifying the infecting viral group in 23 of 24 samples. This study also tested for group 16/18 and is the first to test for the presence of group 31/33/35 in the larynx. These viruses or members of related groups have been reported in malignancies of the head and neck as well as the uterine cervix. They have yet, however, to be identified in benign laryngeal papillomas or laryngeal papillomas that have undergone epithelial transformation.