Human Papillomavirus in Breast Carcinogenesis: A Passenger, a Cofactor, or a Causal Agent?

• Published in: Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 8; p. 804
• Main Authors: Blanco, Rancés, Carrillo-Beltrán, Diego, Muñoz, Juan P., Corvalán, Alejandro H., Calaf, Gloria M., Aguayo, Francisco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 20-08-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: breast; Breast cancer; cancer; Cancer therapies; Carcinogenesis; Cell cycle; Drug resistance; Epidemiology; Epidermal growth factor; Epstein-Barr virus; Estrogens; Gene expression; Genomes; Heparan sulfate; Human papillomavirus; Lymphoma; Malignancy; Mortality; Mutation; Proteins; Review; Risk factors; Tumors; Viral infections; Womens health; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 2079-7737; 2079-7737
• DOI: 10.3390/biology10080804

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in women worldwide as well as the leading cause of cancer-related death in this gender. Studies have identified that human papillomavirus (HPV) is a potential risk factor for BC development. While vaccines that protect against oncogenic HPVs infection have been commercially available, global disparities persist due to their high cost. Interestingly, numerous authors have detected an increased high risk (HR)-HPV infection in BC specimens when compared with non-tumor tissues. Therefore, it was suggested that HR-HPV infection could play a role in breast carcinogenesis in a subset of cases. Additional epidemiological and experimental evidence is still needed regarding the role of HR-HPV infection in the development and progression of BC.