Background: Human papilloma viruses (HPV) have been detected in several types of cancers. Over the last few years, a possible correlation between HPV infection and colon cancers has been suggested. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of HPV-DNA in colon adenocarcinomas and adenomas to describe the relationship of HPV infection with these pathologic features.
Materials and methods: The study included formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 70 patients with colon adenocarcinoma and 30 patients with adenoma (as study group) and 30 tumor adjacent tissues (as control). HPV-DNA was purified and first amplified through MY09/MY11 and GP5+/GP6+ primers. Subsequently, for more precision, another PCR was performed using PGMY09/11 L1 consensus primer system.
Results: All tested adenocarcinomas and adenomas as well as normal tumor adjacent tissues were negative for all types of HPV in two PCR assays.
Conclusion: Our results do not support the relationship between HPV infection and colon carcinoma or adenoma. Attributing a role to the HPV in the etiology of colon carcinogenesis will require further studies.