title: Human papillomavirus load in eyebrow hair follicles and risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beta-human papillomavirus (betaPV) may play a role in the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However betaPV is highly prevalent, and it may only be people with a higher viral load who have increased risk of SCCs. We therefore examined the association between betaPV load and SCCs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 448 immunocompetent cases with SCCs and 464 controls from Italy and Australia and 497 immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients (OTR; 179 cases and 318 controls) from Europe. We used reverse hybridization to genotype 25 betaPV types in eyebrow hair follicles and determined the viral load for eight selected types using quantitative PCR. We used logistic regression to assess associations between type-specific and cumulative viral load and SCCs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Australian and OTR participants in the highest cumulative load tertile were at significantly higher risk of SCCs than those in the lowest tertile. Those with more than four betaPV types in the high load tertile were at approximately three-fold increased risk of SCCs. In Australia, HPV23 and 36 loads were significantly associated with SCCs, with borderline associations for HPV5 and 38. In OTR, HPV8 and 38 loads were significantly associated and HPV20 and 36 were borderline. We found little evidence for an association between load and SCCs in Italy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High viral load may be associated with risk of cutaneous SCCs, with total load seemingly more important than the load of any specific type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings lend weight to the hypothesis that HPV plays a role in skin carcinogenesis.
authors: Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Locked Bag 2000, Royal Brisbane Hospital, QLD 4029, Australia. rachel.neale@qimr.edu.au
authors: Rachel E
authors: RE
authors: Neale
authors: Soenke
authors: S
authors: Weissenborn
authors: Damiano
authors: D
authors: Abeni
authors: Jan Nico Bouwes
authors: JN
authors: Bavinck
authors: Sylvie
authors: S
authors: Euvrard
authors: Mariet C W
authors: MC
authors: Feltkamp
authors: Adele C
authors: AC
authors: Green
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Harwood
authors: Maurits
authors: M
authors: de Koning
authors: Luigi
authors: L
authors: Naldi
authors: Ingo
authors: I
authors: Nindl
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Pawlita
authors: Charlotte
authors: C
authors: Proby
authors: Wim G
authors: WG
authors: Quint
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Waterboer
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Wieland
authors: Herbert
authors: H
authors: Pfister
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D052686:Betapapillomavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005138:Eyebrows / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D011379:Prognosis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral