Detection of human papillomavirus DNA sequences in tongue squamous-cell carcinoma utilizing the polymerase chain reaction method.

Twenty-four cases of tongue squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) were analyzed for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNAs by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and the dot-blot hybridization technique. HPV DNAs were detected in 8 cases. One specimen histopathologically diagnosed as poorly differentiated grade-III SCC contained both HPV-16 and HPV-18 DNA, and 7 other cases contained HPV-16 DNA.