Coincident Detection of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the Oral and Genital Regions in a Young Adult Male with Oral Lichen Planus: A Case Report
5 affiliations
- 1Group for Nutritional Biochemistry and Dietology, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- 2Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- 3Centre of Research Excellence in Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- 4Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- 5Oral Medicine Section, Dentistry Department, Clinic for Dentistry of Vojvodina, Hajduk Veljkova 12, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Abstract
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an atypical presentation in young males, and its co-occurrence with human papillomavirus (HPV) raises clinical concerns regarding malignant transformation. This case report describes a 27-year-old sexually active male with OLP and potentially persistent, synchronous oral and multigenotypic genital HPV co-infections. A 27-year-old male presented for follow-up 19 months after surgical excision of an oral papilloma with lichenoid features and histopathologically confirmed OLP. Molecular detection and genotyping were performed using oral and genital swabs via CFX96 real-time PCR. Results revealed potentially persistent oral co-infection with high-risk HPV 31 and low-risk HPV 44. Genital screening detected these same oral genotypes alongside four additional strains, consisting of high-risk HPV 18, 35, and 73 (classified per IARC standards), and low-risk HPV 81, with clinically evident condylomata acuminata. The long-term detection of high-risk HPV 31 in the oral swab in the presence of OLP highlights a hypothetical “dual-hit” oncogenic framework, where inflammation-induced oxidative stress may synergize with viral E6 and E7 oncoproteins to disrupt cell cycle regulation and elevate malignant transformation risks, though this remains entirely speculative in the absence of mechanistic biomarkers. Synchronous oral and anogenital HPV co-infections in young patients with OLP warrant a comprehensive multidisciplinary diagnostic protocol and cautious oncologic surveillance recommendations to prevent malignant progression and further transmission.
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BibTeX
@article{petrovic2026coincident,
title = {{Coincident Detection of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the Oral and Genital Regions in a Young Adult Male with Oral Lichen Planus: A Case Report}},
author = {Andjelija Petrović and Željko Popović and Biljana Pokimica and Vesna Vučić and Miloš Čanković},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27209240},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9240},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Coincident Detection of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the Oral and Genital Regions in a Young Adult Male with Oral Lichen Planus: A Case Report
AU - Andjelija Petrović
AU - Željko Popović
AU - Biljana Pokimica
AU - Vesna Vučić
AU - Miloš Čanković
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27209240
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9240
AB - Oral lichen planus (OLP) is an atypical presentation in young males, and its co-occurrence with human papillomavirus (HPV) raises clinical concerns regarding malignant transformation. This case report describes a 27-year-old sexually active male with OLP and potentially persistent, synchronous oral and multigenotypic genital HPV co-infections. A 27-year-old male presented for follow-up 19 months after surgical excision of an oral papilloma with lichenoid features and histopathologically confirmed OLP. Molecular detection and genotyping were performed using oral and genital swabs via CFX96 real-time PCR. Results revealed potentially persistent oral co-infection with high-risk HPV 31 and low-risk HPV 44. Genital screening detected these same oral genotypes alongside four additional strains, consisting of high-risk HPV 18, 35, and 73 (classified per IARC standards), and low-risk HPV 81, with clinically evident condylomata acuminata. The long-term detection of high-risk HPV 31 in the oral swab in the presence of OLP highlights a hypothetical “dual-hit” oncogenic framework, where inflammation-induced oxidative stress may synergize with viral E6 and E7 oncoproteins to disrupt cell cycle regulation and elevate malignant transformation risks, though this remains entirely speculative in the absence of mechanistic biomarkers. Synchronous oral and anogenital HPV co-infections in young patients with OLP warrant a comprehensive multidisciplinary diagnostic protocol and cautious oncologic surveillance recommendations to prevent malignant progression and further transmission.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -