HPV infection:correlation with breast cancer and P16 expression

Objective To determine the positive rate of HPV16/18DNA and P16 protein in benign and malignant breast tumors and to investigate the correlation of HPV16/18 infection with P16 expression and clinical pathological features of breast cancer.Methods Between January 2008 and December 2008,HPV16/18 DNA in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical study of P16 protein were performed for 35 cases of breast cancer tissues,35 cases of breast cancer adjacent tissues,30 cases of breast fibroadenoma and 30 cases of normal breast tissues surgically removed in Department of General Surgery,First Affiliated Hospital of Shanxi Medical University.The biological data obtained were then analyzed using the statistical analysis toolkit(SPSS11.5),and P≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results The positive rate of HPV16/l8 expression was 71% in breast cancer tissues,which reached the level of statistical difference compared with those in breast fibroadenoma and normal breast tissues(P≤0.05).The expressions of HPVl6/18 in breast cancer tissues were positively associated with armpit lymph node metastasis(r= 0.152,P=0.021),but not with menopause and tumor size.There was a negative correlation between the expressions of HPVl6/18 and P16 in breast cancer tissues(r=-0.662,P=0.000).Conclusion HPV was shown to be highly expressed in breast cancer,which might be etiologically relevant in occurrence of breast cancer.Moreover,HPV infection was positively associated with armpit lymph node metastasis,and therefore could be a marker of progression and prognosis for breast cancer.HPV infection may also be negatively correlated with inactivation of P16,suggesting that interactions between the both may be involved in the occurrence and development of breast cancer.