Association of human papillomavirus with prostate cancer: Analysis of a consecutive series of prostate biopsies

The study purpose was to investigate the association of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection with prostate cancer. The presence and type of HPV DNA were investigated by polymerase chain reaction in the preservation fluid of 60 consecutive prostate core biopsies (29 benign, 31 malignant). The material was inadequate (no DNA found at P-globin testing) in four benign and five cancer biopsies. HPV DNA was found in 17 of 26 (65.3%) cancer and 12 of 25 (48.0%) benign biopsies (chi(2) = 0.94, p = 0.33). High-risk HPV type positivity was observed in 14 of 26 (53.8%) cancer and in five of 25 (20.0%) benign biopsies (chi(2) = 4.38, p = 0.03). Twenty-three of 29 cases were positive at L1 region testing with MY09/11 primers; testing with primers directed to the E6/E7 region revealed six further HPV-positive cases (four cancer, two benign). The presence of HPV in prostate tissue suggests a possible reservoir for sexual transmission of types with oncogenic potential. Our findings also suggest a possible role of high-risk HPV infection in the etiology of prostate cancer and encourage further research into this issue.