Introduction and objective. For many years the incidence of breast cancer remained at a high level. There are many risk factors which increase the probability of occurrence of the development of neoplastic transformation. Human papillomavirus has oncogenic properties and many studies have demonstrated its role in malignant transformation of cervical epithelial. These properties seems to be of great importance also in the formation of cancers in different organs. Objective. This study aims to assess the prevalence of HPV genetic material in women with breast cancer, and compare the prevalence of HPV DNA with a control group of women with non-malignant changes in the breast. Material and methods. The biological material to be examined, obtained from 60 patients with breast cancer treated in Centrum Onkologii Ziemi Lubelskiej in Lublin, was fixed in paraffin blocks. The control group consisted of 30 patients with suspected tumour growth; however, the histopathological examination ruled out breast cancer cells. HPV DNA isolation was performed using a DNA Mini-Kit (Qiagen). Amplification and genotyping was carried out using a set of INNO-LIPA HPV Genotyping (Innogenetics) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Results. The genetic material of the virus was detected in 8 women with breast cancer. DNA of HPV was not found in samples from the control group. HPV 16 occurred in 50%. Conclusions. HPV genetic material is present in breast cancer cells. HPV is absent in women with benign breast changes. A positive correlation was found between the presence of the HPV genome and the age of the women: the virus is more common in women aged > 60 years, also noted was the presence of HPV associated with the type of histopathological diagnosis. HPV is significantly more frequent in invasive lobular cancer.

Head and neck cancers constitute the sixth most common malignant tumours worldwide, and are one of the majors problems of global public health. In the oral cavity there are several types of oral cancers, but around 90% are squamous cell carcinoma. Many different risk factors play a role in the etiology of head and neck cancer. The aim of this study is presentation from the aspect of molecular, viral and bacterial infection. Knowledge about all factors which influence the development of these malignances is essential for diagnostics and successful treatment.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an hepatotropic human picornavirus that is associated only with acute infection of liver. This pathogen is mainly transmitted through the faecal-oral route, by person-to-person contact, and also contaminated drinking water and food. This reserach presenting the comparative seroepidemiological study (1990/1999/2012) on HAV infection was carried out in population from south-eastern Poland. Anti-HAV was tested in 613 subjects from 0 to over 60 years of age and the results were compared with those observed in 1990 and 1989/99. We also analyzed the number of vaccinations in the past decade and their role in preventing disease.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the Betaherpesvirinae subfamily of the Herpesviridae family, is a widespread pathogen. CMV is a virus usually completely harmless to healthy people; nevertheless, it is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals, such as organ transplant recipients (also haematopoietic stem cell transplantation) and AIDS patients. Furthermore, is a common cause of congenital infections. So far, it is not possible to take effective prevention activities, although there are high expectations in finding an effective vaccine. Understanding the detailed construction of the virus helped to create exactly harmless virus strains used for research. Progress in genetics and biotechnology allowed the carrying out of changes in the virus genome. Today, we know the different parts of the DNA code, are able to modify them, delete, and add inserts. All these actions bring us closer to achieving the objective of an effective and safe vaccine. The presented study shows the results of many different studies and attempts to find an effective vaccine against HCMV. The development direction of research is broad and includes various activities with the use of subunit vaccines, DNA vaccines, peptides and vaccines using the vectors. Some preparations are just at the beginning of a long journey for the registration of an acceptable vaccine, while others have entered into the last phase of clinical trials.

Introduction and objective. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes responsible for the decomposition of extracellular matrix elements. They play an important role during embryogenesis, wound healing, endometrial epithelial exfoliation, the formation of new blood vessels, and also during cancer development. Throat and larynx tumours are included in a large group of head and neck cancers. These tumours are characterized by a poor prognosis. Despite advances in medical science, cancer treatment is difficult and often ineffective. The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in the serum and saliva of patients with pharynx and larynx tumours. Materials and method. Samples of saliva and serum were collected from 60 patients with larynx or throat cancer. Twenty patients without cancer comprised the control group. MMPs in saliva and serum were determined by the ELISA method. Results. In the study group, concentrations of MMP-3 in saliva were from 0.2-77.6 ng/ml. Patients with malignant tumours had higher saliva MMP-3 levels than healthy subjects. The concentration of MMP-3 in the serum of the study group ranged from 10.9-200.00 ng/ml, which was also higher than in the control group. There were no statistically significant difference in the MMP-9 level between the study and control groups (both in serum and saliva). Conclusions. This study is another element that shows the phenomena taking place at the cellular level during oncological disease. In serum and saliva samples, higher values of MMP3 were found in patients with cancer. The increase in the concentration of this enzyme in the risk group may be used for early detection of tumour transformation and evaluation of treatment.