Background: Human papillomavirus could reside and play an etiological role in some vulvar epithelial lesions. Human papillomavirus-infected keratinocytes might have certain biochemical changes that could be of significance in helping clinical diagnosis or elucidating the pathogenesis of some vulvar epithelial diseases.
Objective: To detect the presence of human papillomavirus DNA and observe the expression pattern of L-fucose moiety in some vulvar intraepithelial lesions and vulvar squamous cell carcinoma.
Methods: Nineteen cases of vulvar intraepithelial lesions and 13 cases of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma from the inner aspect of labia majora or the outer aspect of labia minora were selected. Polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect the presence of human papillomavirus DNA in lesional skin. Ulex europeaus agglutinin-1 histochemistry was used to observe the L-fucose expression pattern.
Results: A large proportion of vulvar intraepithelial lesions had the presence of human papillomavirus DNA, but the positive rate was low in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and squamous cell hyperplasia. L-Fucose expression was much more pronounced in human papillomavirus DNA-positive lesions than those negative ones.
Conclusions: Human papillomavirus had an important impact on some vulvar intraepithelial lesions in this Oriental population. The expression pattern of L-fucose may be used as an indicator for vulvar keratinocyte transformation by human papillomavirus.