Does HPV Cause Cutaneous SCCs in Immunocompetent Individuals?

HPV DNA was highly prevalent in those with and without SCC.

Although more than 90% of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, human papillomavirus (HPV) is also associated with SCC of the skin in patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis and with SCC of the cervix and anogenital area. HPV has also been linked to SCC development in immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients, although that association is controversial. Such associations raise the issue of whether HPV, in conjunction with UV radiation, contributes to the development of cutaneous SCCs in immunocompetent individuals. This issue has been addressed in a case-control study involving 85 immunocompetent patients with SCCs and 95 immunocompetent control subjects with no history of sk…

Reviewing Author

Craig A. Elmets, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board Astellas Pharmaceuticals

EquityVaxin

Grant / Research support NIH; NIH/NCI; Veteran’s Administration; Ferndale Laboratories; Kyowa Hakko Kirin Pharma, Inc.

Editorial boards Cancer Prevention Research; Photodermatology, Photoimmunology, & Photomedicine; UpToDate; eMedicine; Journal of Dermatological Sciences; JAMA Dermatology

Leadership positions in professional societies American Academy of Dermatology (Vice Chair, Committee on Science and Research); Photomedicine Society (Board of Directors)