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Review
. 2013 Jan;39(1 Pt 1):1-23.
doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4725.2012.02558.x. Epub 2012 Aug 28.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and human papillomavirus: is there an association?

Bishr Aldabagh  1 , Jorge Gil C Angeles, Adela R Cardones, Sarah T Arron
Affiliations
Review

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and human papillomavirus: is there an association?

Bishr Aldabagh et al. Dermatol Surg. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Background: The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the induction and maintenance of cervical, anogenital, and some oropharyngeal carcinomas is well recognized, but its role in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains to be elucidated. HPV is thought to act as a possible cocarcinogen in the development of SCC.

Objective: To review the literature assessing the correlation between and possible causation of HPV and cutaneous SCC in immunocompetent and immunocompromised populations.

Methods: We reviewed HPV sampling and detection methods, epidemiologic studies examining HPV carriage in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed individuals, and evidence asserting an association between HPV and cutaneous SCC.

Results: Although an abundant body of evidence points toward a link between HPV and cutaneous SCC, many studies indicate otherwise. Recent studies have focused on viral activity in addition to DNA presence.

Conclusion: The possibility exists that HPV may play a role in the induction but not maintenance of cutaneous SCC.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Cervical stratified squamous epithelial cell architecture and the expression of human papillomavirus (HPV) proteins after infection
Daughter cells of epithelial stem cells divide along the basement membrane and then mature vertically through the epithelium without further division (right side). After introduction of HPV into stem cells in the basal layer of the epithelium, expression of viral non-structural proteins occurs. Under the regulation of these proteins, the dividing-cell population expands vertically and epithelial cell differentiation is delayed and is less complete. Viral proteins are expressed sequentially with differentiation as shown, and mature virions are produced only in the most superficial layers of the epithelium. Intraepithelial antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are depleted in the HPV infected epithelium. Reproduced with permission from.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Phylogenetic tree inferred from the L1 nucleotide sequences of 189 papillomaviruses
Reproduced with permission from.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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