Fifty-eight cases (mean age 56.1 +/- 17.1 years) of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma were studied, including 17 cases of Bowen's disease, 5 cases of Queyrat erythroplasia, 16 cases of Bowenoid papulosis and 20 cases of invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. All cases were confirmed by pathological findings. HPV6, 11, 16, 18 DNA were detected by multiple pair primers polymerase chain reaction in paraffin-embedded tissues. The results showed that 2(2/17) cases of Bowen's disease, 1 case of Queyrat erythroplasia and 9(9/16) cases of Bowenoid papulosis were positive for HPV16 DNA and that 20 cases of invasive cutaneous sqamous cell carcinoma were negative for HPV16 DNA. HPV16 is closely associated with Bowenoid papulosis and HPV16 might be a factor of multistep carcinogenesis in rare cases of Bowen's disease and Queyrat erythroplasia.