Polymerase chain reaction analysis of human papillomavirus in adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Thirty-two cervical adenocarcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas were examined to search for human papillomaviruses (HPVs) using the polymerase chain reaction system. Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) and type 18 (HPV18) deoxyribonucleic acid was detected in 22% and 16% of these carcinomas, respectively. HPV16 was the most common type in both adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma, and the mean age of the HPV negative patients was significantly higher than that of HPV positive patients. There may be an association between HPVs and the development of certain adenocarcinomas and adenosquamous carcinomas of the cervix.