Epidemiology of human papilloma virus (HPV) type 16 and 18 in the patients with cervical cancer in Tehran

There is a strong association between the presences of different types of human papillomaviruses to the development of genital lesions. HPV16 and HPV18 have been recognised as the most important etiologic agents for cervical dysplasia and carcinoma. The aim of this study was to investigate epidemiology of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and 18 isolated from patients with cervical cancer admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran.
This case- control study was carried out on 100 patients with cervical cancer and 48 healthy people as control. DNA was extracted using phenol-chloroform method. Then, the relevant gene was amplified by PCR.
In this study, 79% of cases were HPV-positive, among them, 53% of samples was determined as HPV16 and 14% HPV18.
Since no association between these viruses and significantly detectable symptoms, and also because of the extreme prevalence of HPV in Iran, early detection of HPV can prevent cancer development as consequence of pre-cancer lesions. Also, molecular techniques such as PCR can contribute effectively identification of HPV cases to diagnose in a proper time.