Abstract:
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted epitheliotropic virus that infects the
anogenital tract. High-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes significantly increase risk of cervical,
anal, vulvar, vaginal, and penile carcinomas. So far no significant etiological association has
been established between HPV and bladder cancer therefore, the current study aimed at
evaluating the overall prevalence of HPV in bladder cancer patients along with main focus on
the genotype 16 and 18, with respect to Pakistani population. The study included 63 bladder
cancer participants, demographic data and biopsy samples along with the histopathological
reports were collected with patients’ consent. DNA was extracted and processed for HPV
detection using L1 consensus primers. HPV genotyping was carried out using E6-E7 specific
primers for HPV16 and 18, via conventional PCR. This study showed that 15.9% (10/63) of
bladder cancer cases were HPV positive. Upon genotyping, prevalence rate for HPV16 was
4.8% (3/63), HPV18 was 9.5% (6/63) and other HR-HPV genotype was 1.6% (1/63).
Histologically, most of the HPV positive cases were of low grade papillary urothelial
carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma. The HPV male to female incident ratio was 9:1 with an
average age of 65.5±11.8 years. The study showed no significant association of tobacco
consumption, physical activity and co-morbidities (diabetes and hypertension) in HPV positive
bladder cancer patients. In conclusion, the present study provides the latest epidemiological
data related to HPV prevalence and genotype distribution in bladder cancer. The results
indicate an association of HPV with bladder cancer, with HPV18 genotype being more
prevalent. The study emphasizes that HPV is a serious issue in low- and middle-income
countries where existing methods of prevention are still inadequate or costly. It is imperative
to implement local HPV screening programs to help lower the burden of HPV-induced
carcinomas.
