HPV in Intraoral Squamous Cell Carcinomas – Aetiological Agent or Contaminant?

Objectives: High risk Human papilloma viruses (HPV) are reported to be significant independent risk factors for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The prevalence of HPV in OSCC in a South African population sample was evaluated comparing three different HPV detection methods. Methods: Tumour and adjacent morphologically normal oral mucosa of fifty-nine resections of primary OSCC were evaluated for the presence of HPV using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), conventional in situ hybridisation (ISH) and a signal amplification ISH technique (DAKO GenpointTM). Results: HPV 18 DNA was detected in 7 cases using real time PCR. No positivity was found with the other two ISH techniques. Conclusions: We support the view that HPV is probably unimportant in the pathogenesis of OSCC and hypothesise HPV detection techniques as the main reason for the positive results in many studies. Real-time PCR was confirmed as the most sensitive technique, but researchers are urged to incorporate strict internal controls when using this detection method.