The E2 region of HPV 16 in relation to different types of cervical lesions.

The presence of the E2 region of HPV 16 was determined by the polymerase chain reaction in biopsy samples with different histopathological diagnoses. The absence of the E2 gene was observed in 17 of 30 cases examined. The E2 deletions were not confined exclusively to invasive carcinomas or to integrated viral forms. In the majority of cases, the course of cervical lesions was consistent with the state of the E2 gene.