THE PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS L1 CAPSID PROTEIN IN CERVICAL PRECANCEROUS LESIONS
Raluca Balan (1), Ludmila Liliac (1), Nicoleta Simion (1), V. Gheorghiţă (2), Roxana Avădanei (1),
Adriana Grigoraș (1), Cornelia Amălinei (1)
(1) Histology Department, “Gr.T.Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy IaÅŸi
(2) “Elena Doamna” Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital IaÅŸi
Jurnalul de chirurgie 2011; 7 (4): 534-542
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Abstract:

The development of cervical intraepithelial precursors lesions and cervical cancer are strongly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The protein capsid L1 of HPV represents the major target of the cellular immune response in the cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions. The aim of this study was the assessment of the protein capsid L1 of high risk (HR) HPV in cervical low and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL and HSIL), in the context of their progression to malignancy. The study involved 80 patients, between 16-38 years old, with abnormal cervical cytology, who underwent subsequent cervical biopsies under colposcopic guidance, as follows: 52 cases with LSIL (CIN1, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia) and  28 cases with HSIL (18 cases with CIN2 and 10 cases with CIN3). The conventional smears and the cervical biopsies were Papanicolau and Hematoxylin-Eosin stained and evaluated for the immunoexpression of L1HPV protein. For the cervico-vaginal smears, the HPV L1 capsid protein was expressed in 67% of LSIL and 24% of HSIL. For the cervical biopsies, the HPV L1 capsid protein was expressed in 62% of LSIL and 20% of HSIL (CIN2). The absence of immunoexpression of HPV L1 protein capsid, in smears and biopsies is correlated with the progression of cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions. The immunochemical assessment of L1 HPV creates the premises for a comprehensive study, by the combination of multiple molecular and clinic-morphological parameters, in the context of monitoring the events that interest cervical neoplasia progression.

KEY WORDS: HPV, L1 CAPSID PROTEIN, LSIL, HSIL

Correspondence to: Conf. Dr. Cornelia Amălinei, Histology Department, “Gr.T.Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy IaÅŸi, str. Universitatii, nr. 16, 700115, Iasi, e-mail: