Human papillomavirus DNA in situ hybridization may be used for the quality control of genital tract biopsies.

Biopsies of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related lesions of the lower female genital tract were studied using in situ hybridization for HPV DNA. The probes included HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 41, 43, 44, 45, 51, 52, and 56. In cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1 lesions, 64 of 70 (91%) of formalin-fixed tissues were HPV DNA-positive; in vulvar condylomata, 34 of 36 (94%) were positive. Only two of 52 (4%) of the lesions diagnosed as equivocal for CIN 1 or condyloma were positive. Higher-grade CIN and vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia lesions had a lower rate of HPV DNA positivity. It is suggested that in situ hybridization may be used as a quality control procedure for the histologic diagnosis of HPV-related lesions.