Do human papillomaviruses have a role in the pathogenesis of bladder carcinoma?

Abstract

Since little is known of the associations between bladder carcinoma and human papillomaviruses (HPVs), data on the role of HPV in bladder carcinogenesis are controversial. We attempted to clarify whether HPVs are present in bladder carcinomas. We examined 36 specimens of bladder carcinoma for HPV positivity by the polymerase chain reaction method. HPV-16 deoxyribonucleic acid was detected in 1 specimen (3%) of a transitional cell carcinoma from a 37-year-old woman who had concomitant squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix with positive para-aortic lymph node metastasis. The cervical tumor, bladder tumor and para-aortic lymph node metastasis were all positive for the same type of HPV. On the basis of this low rate of HPV detection (3%), HPVs are not likely to have a prominent role in carcinogenesis of the bladder.