Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2015; 21(7): 2210-2213
Published online Feb 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i7.2210
Human papillomavirus-related squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal with papillary features
Marino E Leon, Rania Shamekh, Domenico Coppola
Marino E Leon, Domenico Coppola, Department of Anatomic Pathology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, United States
Rania Shamekh, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, United States
Author contributions: Leon ME designed research, performed research, analyzed data and reviewed paper; Shamekh R performed research, wrote paper and analyzed research; Coppola D designed research, analyzed data and reviewed paper.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Domenico Coppola, MD, Department of Anatomic Pathology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Dr. Tampa, FL 33612, United States. domenico.coppola@moffitt.org
Telephone: +1-813-7453275 Fax: +1-813-7451708
Received: July 11, 2014
Peer-review started: July 12, 2014
First decision: August 6, 2014
Revised: September 5, 2014
Accepted: October 14, 2014
Article in press: October 15, 2014
Published online: February 21, 2015
Processing time: 215 Days and 12.2 Hours
Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) related squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) involving the anal canal is a well-known carcinoma associated with high-risk types of HPV. HPV-related SCC with papillary morphology (papillary SCC) has been described in the oropharynx. We describe, for the first time, a case of anal HPV-related squamous carcinoma with papillary morphology. The tumor arose from the anal mucosa. The biopsies revealed a superficially invasive SCC with prominent papillary features and associated in situ carcinoma. The tumor cells were positive for p16 and were also positive for high-risk types of HPV using chromogenic in situ hybridization. The findings are consistent with a HPV-related SCC of the anal canal with papillary features. This tumor shows histologic features similar to a papillary HPV-related SCC of the oropharynx. Additional studies are needed to characterize these lesions.

Keywords: Anus; Squamous cell carcinoma; Papillary; Human papillomavirus; Carcinoma in situ

Core tip: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related squamous cell carcinoma with papillary morphology has previously been reported in the oropharynx. Here, we describe the occurrence of such a tumor in the anal canal. The association with high risk HPV is demonstrated and poses the question of whether the HPV infection is responsible for this tumor phenotype.