Cutaneous Human Papillomaviruses and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin: Nested Case–Control Study

Abstract

Background: Cutaneous human papillomavirus (HPV) types have been associated with non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), including a previous nested case-control study using HPV serology with bacterially derived fusion proteins with the major HPV capsid protein L1 (GST-L1). However, HPV serology using conformationally intact pseudovirions has been shown to correlate better with natural infection. Prospective studies using a more valid marker of infection are therefore warranted.Methods: Cancer registry follow-up of large Nordic biobanks identified prediagnostic serum samples from 633 subjects who later developed SCC, 1,990 subjects who developed basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The samples from cases and matched controls were tested for IgG to pseudovirions to 16 different HPV types (3,5,6, 11, 15, 16, 18, 31, 32, 33, 38, 45, 52, 58, 68, and 76) and two polyomaviruses (MCPyV and JCPyV).

Mucosal human papillomavirus detection and TP53 immunohistochemical expression in non‐melanoma skin cancer in Tunisian patients

“…The prevalence in our study was higher than that found by Biliris et al (27%), who detected HPV infection by classic PCR using only GP5+ and GP6+ primers. Moreover, most studies using tumor biopsy specimens as material for HPV DNA detection showed a lower prevalence of HPV infection than those using serology; this could be explained by possible degradation of DNA isolated from paraffin‐embedded tissues, leading to false‐negative results even though beta globin, used as control for amplification, was positive …”

“…Cutaneous HPVs are the most commonly identified HPV types in skin cancer; but mucosal HPV (mHPV) types have been also widely investigated in skin carcinogenesis, in view of their frequent involvement in cervical cancer . mHPVs act as an oncogenic factor by degradation of two principal proteins: tumor protein 53 (TP53) (involved in the regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis, and maintenance of genomic stability) and the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) (involved in the inhibition of the G1 to S phase transition in the cell cycle) .…”

Human papillomavirus and posttransplantation cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: A multicenter, prospective cohort study

“…Case‐control studies in both OTR and immunocompetent populations have shown that the presence of βPV DNA or antibodies was associated with a 1.5‐ to 3‐fold increased risk of cSCC 12, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32. It was not possible, however, to determine whether the βPV infection increases risk of cSCC development or whether cSCC formation promotes active proliferation of βPV.…”

“…9,13 A substantial body of epidemiologic data show an association between HPV infection and cSCC, 12,[20][21][22][23][24] in particular, in OTRs. 25,26 In most studies, HPV infection has been determined by detection of serologic responses to a large series of βPV and sometimes γPV types 12,[21][22][23][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] and less frequently by detecting genomic DNA from 1 or multiple HPV types in eyebrow hair or skin scrapings. 20,21,25,[32][33][34] Case-control studies in both OTR and immunocompetent populations have shown that the presence of βPV DNA or antibodies was associated with a 1.5-to 3-fold increased risk of cSCC.…”

“…20,21,25,[32][33][34] Case-control studies in both OTR and immunocompetent populations have shown that the presence of βPV DNA or antibodies was associated with a 1.5-to 3-fold increased risk of cSCC. 12,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]29,31,32 It was not possible, however, to determine whether the βPV infection increases risk of cSCC development or whether cSCC formation promotes active proliferation of βPV. To our best knowledge, there is only 1 published cohort study in OTRs that investigated the influence of βPV infection on the development of cSCC.…”