Scientists find cause of one of the world’s most common cancers, ignite hope

A recent study has found that a common form of human papillomavirus (HPV), named Beta-HPV, might be more harmful than believed until now. Beta-HPV, which was once considered a rare contributor to skin cancer by intensifying UV damage, may in fact play a more direct role in driving cancer growth by actually hijacking the body’s cells. The study found that the virus can take over the body’s cells and promote tumour growth. These findings came from examining a 34-year-old woman who had recurring cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) on her forehead, despite undergoing surgeries and immunotherapy.

A deeper genetic analysis revealed something surprising: the beta-HPV had actually integrated itself into the DNA of the woman’s tumor and was producing viral proteins that helped the cancer thrive. The woman had an inherited immune disorder, one that prevented her T cells from attacking HPV.

Until now, beta-HPV was never found to have integrated into cellular DNA.

“It suggests that there may be more people out there with aggressive forms of cSCC who have an underlying immune defect and could benefit from treatments targeting the immune system,” said immunologist Andrea Lisco from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The research has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Further tests revealed that the woman’s immune system could still repair DNA damage from UV radiation, the typical cause of cSCC, but the impairment of her T cells meant the beta-HPV could invade her skin cells and trigger the formation of cancer.

The immunocompromised woman was also being treated for other HPV-related illnesses, including warts on the skin and in the mouth.

Once the cause was found, she received a bone marrow stem cell transplant to replace her dysfunctional T cells with healthy ones. This cleared up the aggressive skin cancer and her other HPV-caused issues, none of which returned in a three-year follow-up period.

“This discovery and successful outcome would not have been possible without the combined expertise of virologists, immunologists, oncologists, and transplant specialists, all working under the same roof,” says Lisco.

The study shows that there are other factors at work too besides UV radiation as a cause of skin cancer. In cases of weakened immune systems like this, which are rare, even benign viruses can have devastating effects.

The finding emphasises the need for targeted and personalised cancer treatments that may well be more effective than conventional and generic approaches.

“This discovery could completely change how we think about the development, and consequently the treatment, of cSCC in people who have a health condition that compromises immune function,” says Lisco.