Relationship of papillomaviruses to anogenital cancer.
A variety of HPV types infect the anogenital mucosa, giving rise to lesions that differ in clinical appearance, histology, and their risk of malignant progression. HPV-16 is distinguished by a strong association with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and the greatest prevalence in anogenital malignancy. Most cancers appear to have a multifactorial etiology, and HPV infection alone is probably insufficient for malignant transformation. However, the consistent association between HPV infection and anogenital cancers emphasizes that the sexually transmitted papillomaviruses may have a necessary role in carcinogenesis. Hence, there is a prospect that vaccination programs may one day allow public health control of HPV infection, thereby eliminating an important risk factor.
Pfister
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Institut fur Klinische Virologie, Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
D003043:Cocarcinogenesis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000382:microbiology*; D005834:Genital Neoplasms, Male / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections; D014611:Vaccination
D004279:DNA, Viral