Correlation of HPV16 infection with Ki-67 expression in cervical cancer and its precursor lesions

Purpose To study human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and expression of Ki-67 antigen in cervical cancer and its precursor lesions. Methods The expression of HPV16 and Ki-67 was detected by immunohistochemical staining in 5 cases of normal cervical tissue, 35 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and 50 cases of cervical carcinoma.Results The positive rates of HPV16 in carcinoma and CIN were 76.0% (38/50) and 94.3% (33/35), respectively. HPV infection was not detected in normal cervical mucosa. The positive rates of HPV16 in CIN and cervical carcinoma were significantly higher than those in normal cervical mucosa (P0.005). The positive rates of Ki-67 in CIN and cervical carcinoma were 97.1% (34/35) and 94.0% (47/50), respectively. Ki-67 indices were significantly elevated as CIN grade increasing. A positive correlation was found between the Ki-67 expression and the pathological grading of the lesions (P0.05). Conclusions There is HPV16 infection in the cases of cervical carcinoma and its precursor lesion in Ruian area. HPV16 infection may play an important role in carcinogenesis of cervical carcinoma. There is a positive correlation between the abnormal expression of HPV16 and Ki-67 in cervical carcinoma and its precursor lesions. It is suggested that Ki-67 and HPV16 expression may be taken as an effective biomarkers for cervical carcinoma and its precancerous lesions.