Preliminary report on detection of papillomaviruses types 6, 11, 16, and 18 in laryngeal benign and malignant lesions

Recently, clinicians have observed an increase in the incidence of laryngeal papilloma coincident with the rising incidence of venereal warts. The lesions occur in young adults of professional singing age. Different types of human papillomavirus (HPV) are presented. Gynecologic exam revealed cervical tumors, involving 18 HPV in benign and malignant lesions. Thirty patients with the following pathologic conditions were studied: 10 papillomas, 10 severe dysplasias, and 10 invasive cancers. All the lesions were located on the free edge of the vocal folds or the anterior commissure involving the epithelium. The results are as follows: 11 patients (33%) had virus infection, of which four had HPV 6 or HPV 11 on laryngeal papilloma, three had HPV 16 or HPV 18 on severe dysplasia, four had HPV 16 or HPV 18 on carcinoma; and 19 (66%) had no virus infection. Gynecologic research in this field is more advanced. However, this preliminary report raises interesting research questions in laryngology.