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Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Increased risks of cutaneous squamous carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) were associated with increasing numbers of beta human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA types on the skin. Tim Waterboer, PhD, of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany, together with Anne Kricker, PhD, of the University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues hypothesized, based on additional findings, that infection by cutaneous HPVs may moderate the well-known effects of sun exposure in causing these skin cancers. The findings from this study nested in a prospective cohort in New South Wales, Australia, were published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
“Examination of interactions between sun exposure and sun sensitivity and genus beta species 1, 2, and 3 DNA suggested the possibility that sun exposure or sensitivity might only increase cutaneous squamous and basal cell carcinomas in the absence of HPV beta infection,” said the authors.
The study examined the associations of beta and gamma HPV infection in skin swabs and serum antibodies with risk of SCC and BCC. Additionally, the research addressed the natural history of cutaneous HPV infections by exploring the association of HPV infection with sun exposure and related characteristics in skin cancer–free participants. The case-control study included 385 cutaneous SCCs, 832 BCCs, and 1,100 skin cancer–free controls and was conducted between June 2010 and May 2011 in Australia.
The presence of beta-1 and beta-3 HPV DNA was associated with 30% to 40% increased risks for both SCC and BCC, and associations strengthened with each additional positive beta HPV DNA type of all those examined. There was little evidence that any one beta HPV type was more strongly associated than other HPV types with either cancer. The investigators reported a weaker association of sun exposure with SCC and BCC in the presence of beta-3 HPVs than in their absence, based on which they hypothesize that beta-3 HPVs may modify the effect of sun exposure. As widely reported elsewhere, this study found high sun exposure and fair skin were the main risk factors for cutaneous SCC and BCC.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit cebp.aacrjournals.org.
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
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