HPV-Associated Breast Cancer: Myth or Fact?

Erik Kudela; Eva Kudelova; Erik Kozubík; Tomas Rokos; Terezia Pribulova; Veronika Holubekova; Kamil Biringer

doi:10.3390/pathogens11121510

HPV-Associated Breast Cancer: Myth or Fact?

Pathogens. 2022 Dec 9;11(12):1510. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11121510.

Authors

Erik Kudela¹, Eva Kudelova², Erik Kozubík¹, Tomas Rokos¹, Terezia Pribulova¹, Veronika Holubekova³, Kamil Biringer¹

Affiliations

¹ Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, 03601 Martin, Slovakia.
² Clinic of Surgery and Transplant Center, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, 03601 Martin, Slovakia.
³ Biomedical Center Martin, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, 03601 Martin, Slovakia.

Abstract

Some estimates place the proportion of human malignancies attributable to viruses at between 15 and 20 percent. Viruses including the human papillomavirus are considered an interesting but controversial etiological risk factor for breast cancer. HPV infection is anticipated to be an early trigger in breast cancer carcinogenesis, followed by cumulative alterations over time ("hit and run" mechanism) through synergy with other environmental factors. The association between HPV and breast cancer has not yet been verified. There are very conflicting data on the presence of HPV DNA in breast cancer samples, and we lack a clarified, exact mode of HPV transmission to the breast. In our review article we analyzed the up-to-date knowledge about the association of HPV and breast cancer. Furthermore, we summarized the available original research published since 2010. In conclusion, the complexity and inconsistency of the available results together with the relatively low prevalence of HPV infection requires extensive research with much larger studies and exact and unified diagnostic methods are required to better understand the role of the HPV in breast carcinogenesis.

Keywords: breast cancer; carcinogenesis; human papillomavirus; oncogene.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research was funded by project VEGA 1/0398/21, Immune system and vaginal microbiome as important mediator in the process of cervical carcinogenesis, and co-financed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic, as well as by project Lisper, ITMS 313011V446: Integrative strategy in the development of personalized medicine of selected malignant tumors and its impact on quality of life. Operational program integrated infrastructure 2014–2020.