Detection of human papillomavirus DNA sequences in cancer of the urinary bladder by in situ hybridisation and polymerase chain reaction.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of "high risk" human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16) in transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 10 biopsy specimens from male patients of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder for the detection of HPV DNA sequences. Specimens were collected from the Urology Clinic of the K.G. Medical College Hospital, Lucknow, India. Detection of HPV DNA was carried out by tissue in situ hybridisation (a single copy gene localisation method) using 3H-labelled HPV DNA probe and also by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques using primers to HPV 16 upstream regulatory region (URR). RESULTS Out of 10 cases of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder, "high risk" HPV 16 DNA was detected only in one (10%) by using in situ hybridisation whereas two cases (20%) were found to be positive by polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that the rare occurrence of HPV in bladder carcinoma may not have a causal relation with the viral infection.