First hints for a correlation between amplification of the Int-2 gene and infection with human papillomavirus in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) and alterations in certain genes have frequently been proposed as mechanisms in the pathogenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Here, we investigated 47 HNSCC for the presence of HPV and, by fluorescence in situ hybridisation, for amplification of Int-2 and Hst-1 in the search for a possible correlation. The highest frequency of HPV infection was found in hypopharyngeal carcinomas, while amplification of Int-2 or Hst-1 was distributed more equally among the different localisations. Amplification of Int-2 was detectable (7 of 9 cases) in 78% of the HPV-positive carcinomas, whereas no virus infection could be found in the five cases with amplified Hst-1 only. In spite of the rather low number of infected tumour samples, our results suggest a correlation between HPV infection and amplification of Int-2.