A series of cervical biopsies and excision specimens representing normal cervical epithelium, metaplastic epithelium, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical carcinoma were examined for the presence of p53 in relation to the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV 16). The results show that p53 accumulation in premalignant cervical lesions is almost identical to the low levels detected in normal endo- and ectocervical epithelia, reserve cells, immature and mature squamous metaplastic epithelium. p53 levels were low and seem to be independent of the grade in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). However, carcinomas of the cervix contained high levels of immunohistochemically detectable p53. Apparently, a p53 mutation is not an early factor in cervical carcinogenesis. Furthermore, our studies demonstrate that alterations in p53 levels and the presence of HPV 16 are not mutually exclusive markers of cervical tumorigenesis. This contrasts with several reports in the literature and underlines the observation that p53 expression is probably an inadequate prognosticator for estimating progression or regression of CIN lesions.