A total of 87 human esophageal tissue specimens, comprising 35 squamous cell carcinomas and 52 adjacent tissue specimens (with no gross evidence of tumors) were obtained from patients who underwent surgery for cancer of the esophagus in Lin-xian county, Henen Province. The tissue specimens were analyzed for the presence of HPV DNA by Southern blot assay with HPV type 16 and 18 probes and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with HPV consensus primer. The esophageal epithelial specimens of human fetus, and condyloma tissue contained HPV type 6 were used as controls. The results showed that no HPV 16, 18 and other type were detectable in any case, either in the esophageal carcinomas or adjacent tissue specimens. Thus, the role of HPV in the carcinogenesis of esophagus remains unclear. The high incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Lin-xian is probably related to other factors such as N-nitrosamines.