Detection of human papillomavirus DNA by DNA chip in breast carcinomas of Korean women

It remains unclear whether there is an association between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and human breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of HPV DNA in breast carcinomas of Korean women and to examine the possible association between HPV and breast cancer development. For this purpose, HPV DNAs from 154 patients, including 123 patients with breast carcinoma and 31 with intraductal papilloma, and nipple tissue from 27 cancer patients were examined using the DNA chip method. HPV DNA was detected in 8 breast carcinomas (6.5%) but in no intraductal papilloma. All detected HPV genotypes were of high-risk groups. There was a slightly increased incidence in papillary carcinomas (11.5%) and invasive ductal carcinomas with adjacent intraductal papillomas (11.8%) compared to the other histological subtypes (3.2-4.3%), although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.126). The presence of HPV DNA was not correlated with specific prognostic predictors of disease. High-risk HPV DNA sequences were present in 6.5% of Korean patients with breast tumors. However, this study could not demonstrate whether or not such HPVs directly contribute to the development of breast cancer. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.