| pubmed-article:1345699 | pubmed:abstractText | Human papillomaviruses (HPV) play an important role in cervical carcinogenesis but are probably not the only factors. To assess the role of HPV 6 and 11, of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and of cytomegalovirus (CMV) as cofactors for HPV 16 and HPV 18, we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The genomes of these six viruses was searched for in cervical biopsies, inbred in paraffin, from 22 normal cervices, 21 low grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), 21 high grade CIN and 20 squamous cancers. HPV 16 DNA had the highest prevalence in cervical lesions. Its frequency reached 24% in low grade CIN, 57% in high grade CIN, 50% in cancers and 9% in normal cervices. The simultaneous presence of HPV 16 and/or HPV 18 DNA and CMV and/or HSV DNA was significantly more frequent in high grade CIN and cancers than in normal cervices. On the other hand the presence of HPV 16 and/or HPV 18 DNA in samples lacking the other viral genomes did not significantly differ between the groups. Consequently the disease-viral infection relation was not apparent when these two "potentially oncogenic" HPV are isolated without coinfection by HSV or CMV. Our results are in agreement with the hypothesis of the role of herpesviruses as cofactors in cervical carcinogenesis. These viruses may disturb the control mechanisms of cellular growth and differentiation in HPV infected cells. | lld:pubmed |
