Objective: To investigate the relationship between the human papillomavirus (HPV) and esophageal carcinomas.
Methods: We detected HPV DNA in 31 fresh tissue of esophageal carcinomas from Linzhou City, Henan Province, by PCR with the general primer set of GP5+/6+ for HPV L1 gene and type-specific primer sets for HPV16 and 18 as well.
Results: 29 from 31 esophageal carcinoma samples were HPV positive and the rate was 93.5%. Among the samples detected, 19 were HPV16E6 positive and rate was 61.3%, eight were HPV18 E6 positive and rate was 25.8%; our result also showed five were the multiple infection containing HPV16 and 18 as well and the rate was 71.0%.
Conclusion: The high rate of HPV in the esophageal carcinoma samples suggested that HPV plays an etiologic role in the development of esophageal cancer in Linzhou City, Henan Province.