Is HPV connected to Skin Cancer too?

HPV (Human papillomavirus)  has long been connected with increasing the risk of cervical cancer.  A report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that was released on March 15th links HPV to squamous cell carcinoma.

NEW YORK MAR 14, 2006 (Reuters Health) - Human papillomavirus (HPV) types from the genus beta appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute for March 15th.

HPV infection has been strongly linked to several epithelial cancers, but whether such infections are involved in the etiology of keratinocyte malignancies is unclear, lead author Dr. Margaret R. Karagas, from the Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and colleagues note.

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"It is becoming increasingly evident that HPV acts as a carcinogen in malignancies other than cervical cancer," the authors conclude.  "Although sun exposure and sun sensitivity are the major risk factors for keratinocyte cancers, our data support a role of HPV, particularly beta HPVs, in the development of squamous cell carcinoma."

Source:  Women's Cancer Network