Background: To determine the association of human papillomavirus infection (HPV) and
transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).
Methods: Using polymerase chain reaction, fifty-nine bladder tissue specimens of patients with
transitional cell carcinoma of bladder compared with 20 bladder samples of cases with nonneoplastic
disorders.
Results: Male to female ratio was similar in the two groups (50/9 vs. 16/4, P = 0.62). Mean age was
67 ± 10.8 years and 52 ± 20.3 years in the case and control groups, respectively (P = 0.6). Of the
59 tissue specimens with diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma, HPV DNA was detected in 21
(35.6%) samples, while it was present in only one sample (5%) in the control group (P = 0.008).
HPV18 was the most common type of virus with the incidence rate of 17/21(81%).
Conclusion: HPV might play a causative role in transitional cell carcinoma of bladder in our
geographic area.
