Viruses and cancer of the lower genital tract

Abstract

The importance of viruses as oncogenic agents in animals is well established. Recent work suggests that viruses may also be etiologically related to some human cancers. Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and the genital wart virus are prime suspects in carcinomas involving the female lower genital tract. In particular, a close association has been found between HSV-2 infection and cervical neoplasia in cytohistopathologic and seroepidemiologic studies. Preliminary results of prospective studies show further that women with genital herpetic infection are at increased risk of developing cervical neoplasia. Additional studies are also in progress on animal models, including subhuman primates, and efforts continue in the attempt to confirm the presence of viral genetic material or its expression in human cervical cancer cells. The possibility that human wart viruses have an oncogenic potential is suggested by clinicopathologic and electron microscopic observations. Further research is needed to ascertain the precise role of viruses in genital cancer.