Comparison of PapilloCheck and linear array to detect and differentiate human papillomaviruses in cervical and tonsillar smears from females with cervical intraepithelial lesions

A subgroup of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) are causally linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs). To evaluate the prevalence of simultaneous oral HPV infection in females with cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), tonsillar- and cervical smears were collected simultaneously from 73 patients and analyzed for HPV using two commercial assays, PapilloCheck (Greiner-Bio- One) and Linear Array (Roche). Only 3/73 (4.1%) tonsillar smears were HPV positive (HPV+), with HPV types 16, 35, and 45, respectively, detected by both assays (100% agreement). Concordant results were also found in 60/66 (91%) evaluable cervical smears. Of specimens, positive by both assays, typing results completely coincide in 71% (all types are identical) and partially coincide in 27% (at least one type is identical). Taken together, results of HPV detection and typing by PapilloCheck and Linear Array are highly congruent and confirm the low prevalence of HR-HPV in tonsillar smears of patients with HSIL of the uterine cervix. Our data indicate low prevalence of oropharyngeal HPV infection in patients with high-grade cervical dysplasia. The low detection rate was confirmed by using two different commercial assays with largely consistent results of HPV detection and typing, but with some variation for particular HPV types. Comparative testing of larger numbers is required to identify the HPV types prone to escape detection with particular assays.