Background: The relationship between the virus and carcinomas has attracted attention and China may be highly infected-District with HPV. It was unclear that whether there has been HPV infection in squamous cell carcinomas and the occurrence and development of lung cancer has the relation with HPV. This experiment applied situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques. This study is to investigate the relationship between the status of HPV16/18 infection between the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in squamous cell carcinomas of the lung.
Methods: In 44 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the lung, HPV 16/18 DNA was examined by in situ hybridization, expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was revealed by immunohistochemistry and koilocytes was detected in carcinomas tissues by morphologic examination.
Results: Of 44 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the lung, 12 (27.27%) were found to be HPV negative. Twenty-three (52.27%) were found to be integrated form HPV, 9 (20.45%) were found to be large number of episomal form and a few integrated form HPV. And no simplex episomal form HPV was found. HPV 16/18 DNA could not be detected in 15 non-carcinomas tissues. A significantly higher 16/18 DNA positive rates in carcinomas tissues compared to non-carcinomas tissues (P<0.001). Of 44 patients, 20 (45.5%) were found to be Bcl-2 positive. There were significantly difference between integrated and other form HPV 16/18 in expression of Bcl-2 (P<0.05).
Conclusions: HPV infection might be a particular agent in patient with squamous cell carcinomas of the lung. The levels of expression of Bcl-2 were significant higher in HPV positive patients than patients with HPV negative or episomal form HPV in squamous cell carcinomas of the lung.