DETECTION OF HPV 16/18 IN PATIENTS WITH PRECANCEROUS LESIONS OF THE ORAL MUCOSA

This article presents the results of a clinical and laboratory study devoted to evaluating the significance of detecting human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 in patients with precancerous lesions of the oral mucosa. The relevance of the study is обусловлена the growing interest in the role of high-risk HPV types in oropharyngeal carcinogenesis and the need to improve early diagnosis of potentially malignant changes in dental practice. The study was carried out in 2024–2026 as an observational clinical investigation. A total of 20 patients aged 30 to 65 years with clinically diagnosed precancerous diseases of the oral mucosa were examined. All patients underwent clinical examination, assessment of complaints, recording of lesion localization and clinical form, as well as PCR-based HPV testing with genotyping for types 16 and 18. It was established that leukoplakia predominated in the structure of clinical forms, accounting for 60% of cases. The most frequent lesion localization was the lateral surface of the tongue (40%), followed by the buccal mucosa (25%) and the floor of the mouth (20%). HPV 16/18 DNA was detected in 2 out of 20 patients, which amounted to 10% of the study sample. The obtained data indicate that in the studied group HPV 16/18 was not the leading factor in the development of precancerous lesions; however, its detection has clinical significance as an additional criterion of oncological alertness and a basis for more careful follow-up observation. The study emphasizes the expediency of including PCR-based HPV typing in the comprehensive examination of patients with clinically suspicious lesions of the oral mucosa.本文报道了一项临床实验室研究的结果，该研究旨在评估口腔黏膜癌前病变患者中人乳头瘤病毒（human papillomavirus, HPV）16型与18型检测的临床意义。本研究的开展源于学界对高危型HPV在口咽部癌变进程中作用的日益重视，以及口腔临床实践中改善潜在恶性病变早期诊断的迫切需求。本研究于2024年至2026年间开展，属于观察性临床研究。研究共纳入20例年龄介于30至65岁、经临床确诊为口腔黏膜癌前疾病的患者。所有受试者均接受了临床检查、症状评估、病变部位与临床分型记录，以及基于聚合酶链式反应（polymerase chain reaction, PCR）的HPV 16、18型基因分型检测。结果显示，临床分型中以口腔白斑最为常见，占总病例数的60%。病变最常见的发生部位为舌侧缘（占比40%），其次为颊黏膜（25%）与口底（20%）。20例受试者中共有2例检出HPV 16/18型DNA，占研究总样本的10%。本研究数据表明，在受试人群中，HPV 16/18并非口腔黏膜癌前病变发生的主导因素；但其检测结果可作为肿瘤预警的辅助指标，同时可为更为严密的随访观察提供依据，仍具备临床应用价值。本研究强调，将基于PCR的HPV基因分型检测纳入口腔黏膜临床可疑病变患者的全面检查流程具备合理性。