Histologic, nuclear DNA, and human papillomavirus studies of cervical condylomas

Fifty-four cervical condylomatous lesions, with and without nuclear atypia, from 42 women, were studied with the Feulgen microspectrophotometric technique for nuclear DNA quantitation and an immunoperoxidase technique for human papillomavirus (HPV) antigen. All ordinary cervical condylomas (without atypia/dysplasia) had a diploid or polyploid nuclear DNA distribution; 61 % had detectable HPV antigen. Among the cervical condylomas with atypia/dysplasia, 55% (17/31) had diploid or polyploid nuclear DNA pattern, and, of these, 59% (10/17) had demonstrable papillomavirus antigen. Fourteen (45%) were aneuploid lesions, 2 of which had a small number of cells with papillomavirus antigen (14%). These findings suggest that the majority of cervical condylomas are related to papillomavirus infection. That lesions with dysplasia, including high degrees of dysplasia, may also exhibit coexistence of papillomavirus infection suggests the possibility of an infectious etiology in the genesis of cervical squamous neoplasia. Cancer 52:1705-1711, 1983. OILOCYTOTIC ATYPIA of the cervix, initially deK scribed by Koss and Durfee,’ is characterized by the presence of large squamous cells with enlarged, irregular, and hyperchromatic nuclei surrounded by a clear, transparent cytoplasm. More recently, koilocytosis has been recognized to be the hallmark of condylomas caused by human papill~mavirus,~-’ supposition supported by the presence of papillomavirus particles in 25%2 to 45%3 of cervical condylomas studied by electron microscopy, and papillomavirus antigen in 46% to 60%2.4.5 of the cervical condylomas analyzed by the immunoperoxidase technique. Cervical condyloma, detected in 1.7% of women screened by cytologic smears, is a common abnormality of the cervical squamous epithelium exceeding several-fold the frequency of dysplasia and carcinoma in sitic.‘ As many as 70% of cervical dysplasias are now believed to be condyloma, in retrospect.’