The prevalence and pattern of HPV-16 immunostaining in uterine cervical carcinomas in Ethiopian women: a pilot study

Introduction: Cancer of the cervix uteri is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. The association of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection with cervical carcinogenesis is well documented. This is a pilot study aiming to studying the prevalence and the pattern of Human Papilloma Virus Type 16 (HPV16) by immunostaining in the tissues of cervical carcinomas of Ethiopian women. Methods: 20 specimens of uterine cervical carcinomas were studied histopathologically and immunohistochemically for HPV16. Results: Histologically the specimens were classified as: Ten cases were Non Keratinized Squamous cell carcinoma (NKSCC), six cases were Keratinized Squamous Cell Carcinoma (KSCC) and four cases were Adenocarcinoma (ADC). Immunohistochemistry study showed positivity in eleven cases (55%); seven cases (35%) were nonkeratinized squamous cell carcinoma; three cases (15%) were keratinized squamous cell carcinoma and one case (5%) belonged to the adenocarcinomas. Conclusion: This study reveals a significant detection of HPV in Ethiopian women by the use of advanced techniques such as Immunohistochemistry (IHC). The data of this study suggested that the marked expression of the HPV 16 was in the less differentiated uterine cervix carcinomas.Key words: Cancer cervix, HPV 16, immunohistochemistry, Ethiopia