Objectives: To study the role of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV-16 and HPV-18) types in the causation of urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Indian population.
Methods: 50 patients with Urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder were included in the study. Another 10 age-matched subjects who were hospitalized for transurethral resection of prostate for benign prostatic hyperplasia and/or ureterorenoscopy for ureteric stone disease were enrolled as controls. The tissue samples were analyzed for the presence of HPV-16 and HPV-18 DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The histopathology of the tumor tissue was carried out to assess the grade of the tumor.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.1 years. A total of 28 (56%) patients had high-grade tumors and 22 (44%) had low-grade disease. T2 or higher stage disease was observed in 18 (36%) patients. All cancerous specimens and control specimens were found to be negative by PCR for the presence of HPV DNA.
Conclusion: HPV prevalence in the urothelium is very low irrespective of the stage and grade of the disease, and hence, it is unlikely to be the causative agent for urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Indian population. However, the role of other HPV types in the etiology of this tumor needs to be clarified.
Keywords: Human papillomavirus-16; human papillomavirus-18; urinary bladder cancer; urothelial carcinoma.