Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPV) are sexually transmitted and linked to several epithelial malignancies, but an association between HPV and colorectal neoplasia is not established. Previously, we reported a three-fold increase in the odds of colorectal hyperplastic polyps associated with oncogenic HPV seropositivity in men but detected no HPV DNA in colorectal tissues from these same men. METHODS: To test the reproducibility of our prior HPV antibody results and to explore the hypothesis that colorectal hyperplastic polyps may be associated with sexual behavior in men, we conducted a case-control study of hyperplastic polyps and antibodies to eight oncogenic HPV types (including 16 and 18), Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Study participants were men, ages 30-74 years, enrolled in the Minnesota Cancer Prevention Research Unit Polyp Study who had an index colonoscopy from 1991 to 1994, and received a diagnosis of hyperplastic polyps (n = 97) or were polyp-free (n = 184). Plasma was assessed for antibodies to the eight oncogenic HPV types, HSV-2, and HCV using a bead-based multiplex assay. RESULTS: The adjusted ORs for the association between hyperplastic polyps and seropositivity to oncogenic HPV (all eight types combined) was 0.84 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.44-1.58; for HSV-2, OR, 0.98, 95% CI, 0.48-1.99; and for HCV, OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.11-3.26]. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested no association between colorectal hyperplastic polyps and antibodies to specific sexually transmitted infections (STI) in men. IMPACT: Factors associated with STIs are unlikely to play a role in the etiology of colorectal hyperplastic polyps in men.