Colorectal Papillomavirus Infection in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV) is associated with the development of cervical cancer, but whether HPVs have a role in colorectal cancer remains controversial. Experimental Designs: To determine the relationship between HPV and colorectal cancer, we did a retrospective, controlled study using tumor and tumor-adjacent colorectal tissues dissected from patients with colorectal cancer, as well as colorectal tissues from control individuals with no cancer.The samples were processed in a blinded fashion for nested PCR and in situ PCR detection of HPV DNAs. The PCR products were gel-purified and sequenced for HPV genotyping. Results: We found that colorectal tissues from 28 of 55 (51%) patients with colorectal cancer were positive for HPV DNA. Colorectal tissues from all 10 control individuals were negative for HPV DNA (P = 0.0034). Of the 107 usable (GAPDH + ) samples collected as paired colorectal tissues (tumor and tumor-adjacent tissues) from the patients, 38 (36%) had HPV16 (n = 31), HPV18 (n = 5), or HPV45 (n = 2), with HPV DNA in both tumor and tumor-adjacent tissues of 10 paired samples, 13 in only the tumor, and 5 in only tumor-adjacent tissues. In situ PCR detection of the tumor tissues confirmed the presence of HPV DNA in tumor cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that colorectal HPV infection is common in patients with colorectal cancer, albeit at a low DNA copy number, with HPV16 being the most prevalent type. HPV infection may play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis.

The Aetiological Role of Human Papillomavirus in Colorectal Carcinoma: An Iranian Population- Based Case Control Study

“…Gillison and Shah (2003) indicated that HPV associated malignancies would occur at anatomic subsites of exposure by direct contact, since there is no viremic phase in the pathogenesis of HPV, so the infection is not widely disseminated in the body. On the other hand, Bodaghi et al (2005) reported that HPV infection in the tumor tissues which obtained from the cecum and ascending is as common as in the tissues obtained from rectosigmoid locations and this indicated the HPV infection might not be a result of the direct spread from anogenital sites, also Chen et al (2012) found that the transmission of the HPV to the colorectal tissues might occur through blood circulation. Since higher frequency of HPV infection in cecal and ascending tissues has been determined in compare to frequency of infection in rectosigmoid tissues, this study supports the hypothesis that investigated HPV infection in colon and rectum might not occurs through direct infection.…”

“…(2011) and Burnett-Hartman et al (2013), but some incidence of colorectal carcinoma (Bodaghi et al, 2005;Damin et al, 2007;Motlagh et al, 2007;Chen et al, 2012). This diversity has been explained according to possibility of contamination in sample preparation and testing and different frequency of HPV infection between populations which may be affected of high-risk sexual behaviors (Bodaghi et al, 2005;Burnett-Hartman et al, 2008;Burnett-Hartman et al, 2011).…”

Clinicopathologic and molecular features of sporadic early-onset colorectal adenocarcinoma: an adenocarcinoma with frequent signet ring cell differentiation, rectal and sigmoid involvement, and adverse morphologic features

“…Some authors have demonstrated HPV DNA in 46/72 (64%) 35 and 23/55 (42%) 36 of colorectal carcinoma, suggesting a role for HPV infection, particularly HPV type 16, in colorectal carcinogenesis. However, both of these studies also reported the presence of HPV DNA in a large proportion of histologically normal mucosa adjacent to the colorectal carcinomas.…”

Anal cancer and cervical cancer screening: Key differences

“…Although several investigators have found an association between HPV and colorectal carcinoma, [54][55][56] the role of HPV in carcinogenesis of the colon remains to be elucidated. 57 Morphologically, low-grade and high-grade HPVrelated squamous mucosal lesions are similar whether they occur in the anus or cervix.…”