The combined influence of oral contraceptives and human papillomavirus virus on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Detection of circulating HPV16 DNA as a biomarker in the blood of patients with human papillomavirus-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Development of biomarker analysis using the circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methodology is a challenge for noninvasive cancer diagnosis. In this study, a comparison between the plasma and tumor tissue HPV16 DNA viral loads (VLs) has been presented.

METHODS

Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed for quantitating of HPV16 DNA in the plasma and tumor samples of patients with oropharyngeal cancer.

RESULTS

Among the tissues, HPV16-positive patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, nonsmoking patients, displayed significantly higher HPV16 DNA VLs in their tissue. No smoking and advanced N disease were the most important predictors for cHPV16 DNA (circulating HPV16 DNA) detection. The cHPV16-positive women displayed significantly higher VLs in their tumor tissues compared to the men, although without notable impact on the blood detection.

CONCLUSIONS

Many factors were responsible for human papillomavirus DNA circulation in blood. As a result of the small size of the analyzed group, some observed discrepancies need to be proven on a larger cohort.

Sex hormones and the risk of keratinocyte cancers among women in the United States: A population-based case-control study

Men are at a higher risk of developing both squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) than women, but there is emerging evidence that women may be experiencing greater increases in the incidence rates of these malignancies than men. One possible explanation is the expanding use of sex steroids among women, although only a few studies have examined this hypothesis. As part of a population-based, case-control study of women in New Hampshire, USA, we sought to evaluate the risk of SCC, BCC, and early-onset BCC in relation to exogenous and endogenous sex hormones. We found that oral contraceptive (OC) use was associated with an increased risk of SCC (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1-1.8) and BCC (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0-1.8), particularly high estrogen dose (>50 mg) OC use. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use also related to SCC, with an elevated OR largely for progestin use (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1-1.8). Additionally, both OC use and combination HRT use were associated with more aggressive BCC subtypes. In contrast, menstrual and reproductive history did not appear to influence keratinocyte cancer risk in our data. Our findings provide evidence that use of sex steroids may enhance risk of keratinocyte cancer.

Human papillomavirus infection and risk of lung cancer in never-smokers and women: an 'adaptive' meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES:

The incidence of lung cancer in Koreans is increasing in women and in both men and women with a never-smoking history. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been suggested as a modifiable risk factor of lung cancer in never-smokers and women (LCNSW). This systematic review (SR) aimed to evaluate an association between HPV infection and lung cancer risk in LCNSW.

METHODS:

Based on a prior SR and some expert reviews, we identified refereed, cited, or related articles using the PubMed and Scopus databases. All case-control studies that reported the odds ratio of HPV infection in LCNSW were selected. An estimate of the summary odds ratio (SOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated.

RESULTS:

A total of four case-control studies were included. The fixed-effect model was applied because of homogeneity (I-squared=0.0%). The SORs in women and in never-smokers were 5.32 (95% CI, 1.75 to 16.17) and 4.78 (2.25 to 10.15) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results showed a significant effect of HPV infection in LCNSW. It is evident that developing a preventive plan against LCNSW may be necessary.