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Review
. 2024 Dec 18;19(1):63.
doi: 10.1186/s13027-024-00624-0.

Prevalence of HPV in anal cancer: exploring the role of infection and inflammation

Fatemeh Ebrahimi #  1 , Reyhaneh Rasizadeh #  1   2   3 , Sajjad Jafari  4 , Hossein Bannazadeh Baghi  5   6   7
Affiliations
Review

Prevalence of HPV in anal cancer: exploring the role of infection and inflammation

Fatemeh Ebrahimi et al. Infect Agent Cancer. .

Abstract

Anal cancer incidence is rising globally, driven primarily by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV, especially high-risk types 16 and 18, is considered a necessary cause of anal squamous cell carcinoma. Certain populations like people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, inflammatory bowel disease patients, smokers, and those with compromised immunity face elevated risk. Chronic inflammation facilitates viral persistence, cell transformation, and immune evasion through pathways involving the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. HIV coinfection further increases risk by impairing immune surveillance and epithelial integrity while promoting HPV oncogene expression. Understanding these inflammatory processes, including roles of CD8 + T cells and PD-1/PD-L1, could guide development of immunotherapies against anal cancer. This review summarizes current knowledge on inflammation's role in anal cancer pathogenesis and the interplay between HPV, HIV, and host immune factors.

Keywords: Anal cancer; HIV; HPV; IBD; Inflammation; PD-L1.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The risk factors for anal cancer
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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