HLA DR-DQ associations with cervical carcinoma show papillomavirus-type specificity

Cervical carcinoma is now known to be associated with human papillomaviruses (HPV), but the evidence for a link with specific HLA loci is controversial. The role of genetic variation at the HLA class II loci and among HPV types in cervical carcinoma was investigated by PCR DNA amplification and oligonucleotide probe typing of paraffin-embedded invasive cervical cancer tissue from Hispanic patients and of cervical swabs from Hispanic controls. Certain HLA class II haplotypes (such as DRB1*1501-DQB1*0602) were associated significantly, while DR13 haplotypes were negatively associated with cervical carcinoma. These associations are HPV16-type specific. These results suggest that specific HLA class II haplotypes may influence the immune response to specific HPV-encoded epitopes and affect the risk of cervical neoplasia.