Association of human papilloma viruses with adnexal tumors

Background: Some studies have reported a correlation between adnexal tumors and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. We performed this study to determine the incidence of HPV infection in adnexal tumor samples to further clarify any potential link between HPV and the pathogenesis of adnexal tumors. Methods: A total of 65 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, tissue samples with a histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of adnexal tumors, obtained between 2006 and 2011, were retrieved and evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of different types of HPV. Results: The samples included 29 sebaceous gland tumors, 18 sweet gland tumors, and 18 follicular epithelium tumors. The HPV DNA was only detected in four out of 18 sweet gland tumors (22.2%), i.e. in 6.2% of all evaluated tumors. HPV-6 and HPV-54 were detected in one and three samples, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the low rate of HPV in adnexal tumors, the probability of an association between HPV and adnexal tumor seems slim.