Human papillomavirus type 16 associated with multifocal transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder in two transplanted patients.

This report describes two cases of rapidly progressive, multifocal transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder that developed in two patients after renal and cardiac transplantation, respectively. In both cases human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 DNA was detected using the polymerase chain reaction DNA amplification method. To our knowledge, this HPV type has not been previously described in multifocal bladder transitional cell carcinoma in transplanted patients. Our findings suggest that HPV may play a major role in the development of rapidly progressive, multifocal transitional cell carcinoma in immunosuppressed patients.