Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar 27:5:55-75.
doi: 10.4137/CMO.S6905.

The combined influence of oral contraceptives and human papillomavirus virus on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Jimmy T Efird  1 , Amanda E Toland, C Suzanne Lea, Christopher J Phillips
Affiliations

The combined influence of oral contraceptives and human papillomavirus virus on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Jimmy T Efird et al. Clin Med Insights Oncol. .

Abstract

The vast majority of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) will occur in those with fair complexion, tendency to burn, and high ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. Organ transplant recipients also are an important population at great risk for CSCC. An association has been reported between oral contraceptive (OC) use, human papillomavirus virus (HPV) and cervical cancer, and there could be a similar association for CSCC. The cutaneous HPV β-E6 protein, a close cousin of the transformative E6 protein underlying anogenital cancers, has been shown to inhibit apoptosis in response to UVR damage and stimulate morphologic transformation in rodent fibroblast cell lines. Furthermore, OC use has been shown to enhance HPV transcription and may contribute to CSCC risk through this pathway.

Keywords: cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma; human papillomavirus virus; oral contraceptives.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Conceptual model depicting the association between OCs, HPV and CSCC. Note: Risk factors for CSCC represent a complex interacting web of putative associations involving OC use, HPV infection, UVR exposure, and immunosuppression.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
HPV types and cancer risk. Note: In contrast to anal, cervical and tonsillar cancers, the role for alpha HPVs remain uncertain for most CSCCs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Johnson T, Rowe D, Nelson B, Swanson N. Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (excluding lip and oral mucosa) J Am Acad Dermatol. 1992;26:467–84. - PubMed
    1. Barksdale S, O’Connor N, Barnhill R. Prognostic factors for cutaneous squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma. Determinants of risk of recurrence, metastasis, and development of subsequent skin cancers. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 1997;6:625–38. - PubMed
    1. Preston D, Stern R. Nonmelanoma cancers of the skin. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:1649–62. - PubMed
    1. Roth J, Granick M. Squamous cell and adnexal carcinomas of the skin. Clin Plast Surg. 1997;24:687–703. - PubMed
    1. Alam M, Caldwell J, Eliezri Y. Human papillomavirus-associated digital squamous cell carcinoma literature review and report of 21 new cases. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003;48:385–93. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources