Detection of human papillomavirus type 16 in squamous cell carcinoma of the colon and its lymph node metastases with PCR and southern blot hybridization.

The etiological role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in a number of squamous malignant tumors is well known. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of colon is a rare disease with uncertain etiology. Our objective was to detect possible HPV infection in a colon SCC patient. The 94-year-old female patient was operated due to colon tumor causing passage disturbances. Histology confirmed SCC. Tumor tissue and the removed lymph nodes were examined with polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridization techniques. Of HPV types most often occurring in malignant tumors (16, 18) the presence of HPV type 16 could be confirmed in the primary tumor and in four out of the nine surrounding lymph nodes, of which two were metastatic. HPV-16 infection could be detected in an SCC patient in the primary tumor and in surrounding lymph nodes. According to our knowledge, no similar study has been published yet.