[Comparative study of HPV infection and proliferating cell nuclear antigen of uterine cervix]

We investigated the proliferating activity of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in cervical neoplasia obtained from 37 mild dysplasia, 26 moderate dysplasia, 34 severe dysplasia and 26 carcinoma in situ (CIS) and 10 normal cervical epithelium by in situ hybridization (ISH) with biotinylated HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18 DNA probes and by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibody (PC10) to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The results were as follows: 1) The immunohistochemical study of PCNA was useful as a marker to detect proliferating activity in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. The PCNA labelling index was significantly increased as the grade of cervical neoplasia become higher (normal cervical epithelium: 3.5%, mild dysplasia: 10.3%, moderate dysplasia: 16.9%, severe dysplasia: 23.7%, CIS: 36.3%) (p < 0.01). 2) The PCNA labelling index of the HPV type 6, 11, 16, 18 positive group was not significantly different from that of the no HPV detected group in each grade of cervical lesions. 3) The PCNA labelling index group positive for HPV 16, 18 DNA was significantly higher than the HPV 6, 11 positive group and the no HPV detected group at every grade of dysplasia (p < 0.05). The precancerous lesions positive for HPV type 16 or 18 were thought to be a high risk group judging from the proliferating activity. These results suggest that PCNA can be used as one of the growth factors in cervical neoplasia and that HPV type 16 and 18 infection had a significant proliferating cell activity in every grade of cervical dysplasia.