HPV may Play a Role in Skin Cancer too

[Angel]

Doctors know the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant cause of cervical cancer. Now, they believe it may also be playing a role in the development of one type of skin cancer.

In a study conducted among skin cancer patients and people without skin cancer, researchers found people with squamous cell cancers were significantly more likely to have antibodies in their blood to the beta form of HPV. The alpha form of the virus causes cervical cancer.

No increase in viral antibodies was seen in either the people without skin cancer or those with basal cell carcinomas. The study involved 252 squamous cell cancer patients, 525 basal cell cancer patients, and 461 healthy controls.

The results held true even after the investigators adjusted their data to take sun exposure and other skin cancer risk factors into account. They believe these findings may point the way to a new target for skin cancer prevention and treatment.

"Although sun exposure and sensitivity to sun are still the main culprits in skin cancer, our findings suggest skin types of HPV also may play a role," says study author Margaret Karagas, M.D., from Dartmouth Medical School's Norris Cotton Cancer Center in White River Junction, Va. "While further study is needed, a potential role of viruses in skin cancer occurrence could represent a new line of investigation for the detection and treatment of squamous cell skin cancer."