Human papillomavirus DNA in oral squamous cell carcinomas from an African population sample

Background. The incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is on the increase in developing countries. Materials and Methods. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded blocks of OSCCs from a Black South African population sample of peri-urban and rural origin were selected as follows: Group 1-57 OSCCs with a mean age of 59 years; Group 2 - 43 OSCCs all cases younger than 40 years; Group 3 - 46 OSCCs with blocks containing only tumour tissue without any normal epithelium and Group 4, a control group of 38 non-neoplastic epithelial lesions. Type specific primers were used in a standard PCR to amplify a segment of the E6 region of HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18. Results. HPV 11 and 16 DNA were found in one sample each from groups 1 and 2 respectively. Conclusion. HPV is not an etiologic factor in the development of OSCC in the population studied.Articl