Molecular Studies on HPV and Cancer

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is considered to be a multifactorial disease, in which infections of certain viruses play a fundamental role. Based on epidemiological studies, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified eleven infectious agents as human carcinogens (Group 1). These include high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) genotypes.

Studies conducted over the past three decades have led to the development of prophylactic HPV vaccines used around the world. The high efficacy of these HPV vaccines and the excellent safety profile have resulted in important health benefits for the population.

Importantly, most of our current knowledge relates to HPV infection in the female anogenital tract, with limited information in men. In addition, little is known about the natural history of head and neck HPV infection and the risk factors associated with the development of cancer.

Although the screening and diagnostic methods currently available have significantly reduced the percentage of cancer cases, the identification of molecular biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic value could further improve the sensitivity and specificity of the resources currently available.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of HPV-related carcinogenesis, e.g., epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation or non-coding RNA (miRNA) expression, known to be deregulated by HPV oncoproteins. Furthermore, studies aimed at investigating whether different molecular mechanisms can explain the different carcinogenic capacity of HPV genotypes or whether they can be involved in different ways in different parts of the human body are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Daniela Cabibi
Prof. Dr. Giuseppina Capra
Guest Editors

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