Human papillomavirus DNA in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in the Free State, South Africa
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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

RNAscope for In situ Detection of Transcriptionally Active Human Papillomavirus in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: March 11, 2014
Atang Bulane1, Dominique Goedhals1,2, Riaz Y Seedat3,4
1Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Abstract:
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been associated with a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV DNA in archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from patients with histologically confirmed HNSCCs in a South African cohort. A nested PCR was used for the detection of HPV DNA targeting the L1 gene. Positive samples were confirmed using an in-house hemi-nested PCR targeting the E6 gene and genotyped by sequence determination of amplicons. HPV DNA was detected in 57/780 (7.3%) samples, with the highest prevalence being in the sinonasal tract (16.0%) and oropharynx (10.8%). HPV16 was the most frequently detected type, being found in 26/57 (45.6%) positive samples. The prevalence of HPV DNA in HNSCCs found in this study was lower than that found in developed countries.
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