Laryngeal Papillomavirus Infection during Clinical Remission

TLDR

Biopsy specimens from 20 laryngeal papilloma patients were screened for HPV DNA using Southern blot hybridization. All examined papillomas harbored HPV DNA, and viral sequences were also detected in uninvolved sites of active patients and in remission samples—except one remission case—accounting for the frequent recurrences seen after long‑term remission.

Abstract

Biopsy samples from 20 patients with a history of laryngeal papillomas were analyzed by Southern blot hybridization for the presence of human papillomavirus DNA. All papillomas examined contained papillomavirus DNA sequences. Four samples from uninvolved sites in two patients with active disease and eight samples from patients in remission also contained viral DNA. No human papillomavirus DNA was detected in a third patient seen during remission. These results explain the clinical pattern of frequent recurrences even after long-term remission in laryngeal papillomatosis.