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
Review
. 2022 Dec 9;11(12):1510.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens11121510.

HPV-Associated Breast Cancer: Myth or Fact?

Erik Kudela  1 , Eva Kudelova  2 , Erik Kozubík  1 , Tomas Rokos  1 , Terezia Pribulova  1 , Veronika Holubekova  3 , Kamil Biringer  1
Affiliations
Review

HPV-Associated Breast Cancer: Myth or Fact?

Erik Kudela et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

Some estimates place the proportion of human malignancies attributable to viruses at between 15 and 20 percent. Viruses including the human papillomavirus are considered an interesting but controversial etiological risk factor for breast cancer. HPV infection is anticipated to be an early trigger in breast cancer carcinogenesis, followed by cumulative alterations over time ("hit and run" mechanism) through synergy with other environmental factors. The association between HPV and breast cancer has not yet been verified. There are very conflicting data on the presence of HPV DNA in breast cancer samples, and we lack a clarified, exact mode of HPV transmission to the breast. In our review article we analyzed the up-to-date knowledge about the association of HPV and breast cancer. Furthermore, we summarized the available original research published since 2010. In conclusion, the complexity and inconsistency of the available results together with the relatively low prevalence of HPV infection requires extensive research with much larger studies and exact and unified diagnostic methods are required to better understand the role of the HPV in breast carcinogenesis.

Keywords: breast cancer; carcinogenesis; human papillomavirus; oncogene.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Sung H., Ferlay J., Siegel R.L., Laversanne M., Soerjomataram I., Jemal A., Bray F. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J. Clin. 2021;71:209–249. doi: 10.3322/caac.21660. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Soerjomataram I., Bray F. Planning for Tomorrow: Global Cancer Incidence and the Role of Prevention 2020–2070. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 2021;18:663–672. doi: 10.1038/s41571-021-00514-z. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Karihtala P., Winqvist R., Bloigu R., Jukkola-Vuorinen A. Long-Term Observational Follow-up Study of Breast Cancer Diagnosed in Women ≤40 Years Old. Breast. 2010;19:456–461. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2010.05.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Paluch-Shimon S., Cardoso F., Partridge A.H., Abulkhair O., Azim H.A., Bianchi-Micheli G., Cardoso M.-J., Curigliano G., Gelmon K.A., Harbeck N., et al. ESO-ESMO 4th International Consensus Guidelines for Breast Cancer in Young Women (BCY4) Ann. Oncol. 2020;31:674–696. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2020.03.284. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Britt K.L., Cuzick J., Phillips K.-A. Key Steps for Effective Breast Cancer Prevention. Nat. Rev. Cancer. 2020;20:417–436. doi: 10.1038/s41568-020-0266-x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources