The Structural Profile of HPV 18 in Terms of Chromosomal and Nuclear Degenerative Changes and the Ratio of Nucleus/Cytoplasm on Liquid based Cervical Cells

Background

HPV 18 is one of the important oncogenic types. HPV 18 is generally evaluated together with HPV 16 and/or high-risk HPV types in light microscopic studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of only HPV 18 on the nucleus/cytoplasm ratio, and chromosomal and nuclear degenerative changes in liquid-based samples.

Materials and Methods

Eighty liquid-based cervical samples were used in this retrospective study. These smears were prepared by HPV Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) detection and genotyping with the Cobas 4800 HPV system. Forty HPV 18 infected and forty smears with no infection agent were evaluated for chromosomal (nuclear budding, micronuclei), nuclear degenerative changes (membrane irregularity, nuclear enlargement, hyperchromasia, abnormal chromatin distribution, binucleation (BN), karyorrhexis (KR), karyolysis (KL), karyopyknosis (KP)), and cytologic findings (koilocyte (KC), cells with perinuclear PR) using light microscopy. Cellular diameters were evaluated using image analysis software. Statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 19.0. p values < .05 were considered significant.

Results

The statistically significant difference between the presence of HPV 18 and karyorrectic cell, KC, nuclear membrane irregularity, enlargement, the mean nuclear width and height (p < 0.05). No cellular changes other than those mentioned were observed.

Conclusions

The present study is significant in that, it reveals the relationship between only and particularly HPV 18 and nucleus/cytoplasm ratio, and chromosomal and nuclear degenerative changes in liquid-based cytology. HPV 18 affects KR, koilocytosis, nuclear membrane irregularity, enlargement, and nuclear diameters. Light microscopic analysis of these abnormalities increases the sensitivity and specificity of cytology in the evaluation of cellular pictures due to HPV 18.

Cytomorphometry and morphology analysis of human papillomavirus type 16 in liquid-based cervical cytology samples

BACKGROUND

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main causal factor of cervical carcinoma. HPV 16 is one of the most prominent oncogenic types. We aimed to evaluate the cytomorphometric and morphological alterations caused by HPV 16 in liquid-based cytology (LBC).

METHODS

The Cobas 4800 HPV system was used for the detecting and typing HPV DNA in cervical specimens. In this study, 30 HPV 16 positive and 30 HPV 16 negative cervical samples were evaluated for micronuclei (MN), nonclassical cytologic abnormalities, and the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio. Nuclear and cellular areas were evaluated using image analysis software and the nuclear-to-cytoplasm ratio was calculated. All analyses were performed blinded to the patients' HPV status. Statistical evaluation was carried out using the χ² and Fisher test; P-values < .05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

The frequencies of micronucleated cells and koilocytes were higher in the HPV 16 infected group (P < .05). Cells with perinuclear halo in control group were higher than the HPV 16 infected group (P < .05). The mean nuclear-to-cytoplasm ratio in HPV 16 patients was higher than the control value, but the difference was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

LBC can be used to detect morphological and morphometric changes. HPV 16 induces the formation of MN and koilocytosis. The evaluation of MN could provide additional information in monitoring genomic instability and of koilocytes could provide information about damage to the cytoskeleton filaments in HPV infection. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of HPV-18 and other high-risk HPV types on the cell size and nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio.