[Correlation between chronic hyperplastic laryngitis and infection with human papillomaviruses].

Cancer of the larynx is one of the most prevalent tumors of the head and neck, with its prognosis dependent on early diagnosis. A number of authors have now reported a connection between head and neck cancers and infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). A large number of these tumors has been found to be HPV 16/18 positive, with results ranging from 10% to 75% positive. It is currently known that viral infection alone cannot realize an oncogenic potential and there have to be exogenous and/or endogenous factors as well. Further, little is known about the prognosis of epithelial lesions which undergo malignant conversion. The aim of our study was to determine whether the HPV 16/18 content in biopsies of chronic hyperplastic inflammations of the larynx was a prognostic factor for later malignancy. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to examine 150 laryngeal biopsies from 132 men and 18 women. Additionally, historical data, including information about regular alcohol and nicotine consumption, were examined for an association with HPV 16/18. Three different groups were found to be at risk for developing a carcinoma of the larynx from the 91 patients positive for HPV 16/18 (10 women and 81 men). These included: (1) HPV 16/18 positive patients not exposed to exogenous irritants (6 women and 9 men); HPV 16/18 positive smokers (1 woman and 37 men); (3) HPV 16/18 positive smokers and regular alcohol drinkers (3 women and 35 men). During the 3 1/2 years of our study one woman and one man from the first group developed a cancer of the larynx.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)