Histological changes identical to those of condylomatous lesions found in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas

Esophageal specimens derived from sixty patients with an established invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus were histologically surveyed with special reference to the morphological manifestations of human papilloma virus (HPV), known to cause flat, inverted and papillomatous lesions (Condylomas) in the uterine cervix. Epithelial changes fulfilling the criteria of the papillomatous condyloma were present in one case, those of the inverted lesions in three cases, and those of the flat condylomas in a total of 20 cases. The possible role of HPV in the development of these lesions was discussed, and the possibility was presented that HPV could be the agent responsible for or contributing to the evolvement of the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in man.