HPV variants and genital cancers in Uganda

FM Buonaguro MD^1, ML Tornesello PhD^1, I Salatiello PhD^1, ML Duraturo PhD^1, P Okong MD^2, L Buonaguro MD^1, B Biryahwaho PhD^3, SD Sempala MD³

AIM: Genital cancers in Uganda have been the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men as well as in women since the 1950s. Genetic studies have detected HPV-16 variants of Af1 class and identified a new sub-class designated Af1-u. The main goal of this study is to analyze the prevalence of HPV strains and HPV variants in anogenital lesions of Ugandan male and female subjects in order to possibly determine their role in the pathogenesis of such lesions and to develop an Ugandan preventive HPV vaccine program. METHODS: Scrapes/biopsies from women and men with normal epithelium as well as with all different degrees of genital lesions (from LSIL to cervical/penile carcinoma) have been collected in the Kyadondo county and in Kampala, Uganda. All samples are analyzed by PCR amplification of the L1 conserved region (nt 6584-7035) and the E6/E7 genes (nt 34- 880), nucleotide sequence analysis, homology and phylogenetic studies. RESULTS and CONCLUSIONS: Penile cancers from the Kyadondo County have been analyzed for the presence of HPV sequences. More recently 16 ectocervical scrapes and three biopsies have been received from women attending the Nsambya Hospital and analyzed for the presence and type of HPVs. Our results, obtained by PCR and sequencing analysis, allowed the identification of HPV-16 Af1 sequences in 100% of tumor tissue and in 6.25% of scrapes. HPV 45 was identified only in one tumor together with HPV 16 infection. HPV 33 and HPV 58 were present in 20% and 40%, respectively of HPV positive benign samples. The results are showing a narrowing of the HPV pattern in more advanced lesions, suggesting that mainly HPV-16 Af1 patients are progressing to cancer.

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Paper presented at the International Symposium on Predictive Oncology and Intervention Strategies; Paris, France; February 9 - 12, 2002; in the section on Viral Oncogenesis.

http://www.cancerprev.org/Journal/Issues/26/101/996/4356