Abstract
To clarify pathogenic roles of human papillomavirus (HPV) in tumorigenesis, 111 specimens of oral lesions were examined by Southern blot hybridization (SBH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a set of primers, L1C1/L1C2 and L1C2m (L1-PCR). The specimens consisted of 9 papillomas, 34 leukoplakias, 36 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), 12 fibrous polyps, 6 epulis fibrosas and granulomatosas,8 normal mucosa collected at operation, and 6 normal tongues taken at autopsy. HPV DNA was detected not by SBH but by PCR with higher frequency in papilloma (5/9; 55.6%), as compared with in leukoplakia (7/34; 20.6%), SCC (7/36; 19.4%), fibrous polyp (3/12; 25%), normal mucosa at operation (1/8; 12.5%) and at autopsy (3/6; 50%). By direct sequencing of the PCR products for genotyping in 26 HPV DNA-positive specimens, HPV-18 was detected in 23 (88.5%), -59 in 2(7.7%) and -70 in 1(3.8%). HPV-70 was first identified in the oral papilloma lesions.
