Detection of human papillomavirus DNA in fine-needle aspirations of metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix using the polymerase chain reaction.

Routinely processed fine-needle aspirations of metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) were analyzed for human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an in vitro DNA amplification method. HPV-16 DNA was detected in five of seven (71%) metastases from SCC of the uterine cervix. In two cases in which the primary tumor was available for comparison, the HPV-16 DNA content of the primary tumor and of the metastasis was identical. HPV-16 was not found in a metastatic SCC from the lung or in a metastatic nasopharyngeal SCC. These findings demonstrate that HPV-16 DNA sequences can be readily detected in routinely processed fine-needle aspirations using the polymerase chain reaction. The finding of HPV-16 DNA in a metastasis may serve to direct a search for a primary site of origin.