The Diagnostic Role of P16 protein in Breast Cancer Detection Resulting from HPV Infection

Background: Several studies have suggested an association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and the development of several types of human cancers. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide, with incidence and mortality rates continuing to rise. Recently, research has begun to highlight a possible link between HPV infection and an increased risk of breast cancer.Evaluation of human papillomavirus 16 &18 prevalence in breast cancer tissue samples and its relationship with p16 protein expression level , 80 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast tissue samples were examined. The samples included 40 pathological tissue samples containing breast cancer; besides 40 normal tissues samples that did not show any phenotypic changes as a control group. To detect the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18, the highly sensitive In situ Hybridization (ISH) technique was used, while Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to analyze the gene expression level of p16 protein in breast cancer samples, as well as normal samples used as a control group.HPV-16 and HPV-18 positive reactions were detected using CISH in 37.5% of breast cancer samples (15 out of 40). On the contrary, no positive HPV-16 and HPV-18 reactions were detected in healthy breast tissues in the control group. The consequences also showed that 47.5% of breast cancer cases (19 out of 40) were positive for p16 protein reactions using IHC. The statistical analysis revealed a highly significant difference in the expression rates of p16 protein among breast cancer grade groups, with a P value of less than 0.001.