Association between human papillomavirus 16 E6 variants and human leukocyte antigen class I polymorphism in cervical cancer of Swedish women.

Abstract Persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly HPV16, represents the prime risk factor in cervical carcinogenesis. HPV variants ( e.g. , within the E6 gene) together with immunogenetic factors of the host may be responsible either for effective viral clearance, or alternatively, for viral persistence. Peripheral blood from 27 HPV16 positive Swedish women with cervical carcinoma, who had previously been tested for HPV16 E6 variants, was used for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I typing. Women with HLA-B*44, HLA-B*51, or HLA-B*57 who were infected with the HPV16 E6 variant L83V had an approximately four- to fivefold increased risk for cancer compared with cont…