| dc.description.abstract | Non-melanoma skin cancer, comprising basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell
carcinoma (SCC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Caucasian populations.
Established risk factors include exposure to solar ultra-violet radiation and immunosuppression,
such as that experienced by organ transplant recipients (OTR). A role for cutaneous
human papillomaviruses (HPV) in the aetiology of SCC has been suggested,
but remains uncertain. The aims of this thesis were to examine the association between
SCC and antibodies against the L 1 antigen of 38 HPV types using Luminex technology
among Caucasian individuals and to investigate the seroepidemiology of cutaneous HPV
types. Data came from a small prospective study of 39 cases and 80 controls (the Oxford
component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) and
from case-control studies nested among high-risk cohorts of OTR from London and from
Oxford (119 prevalent cases and 425 controls).
Around 85% of controls were seroactive to at least one HPV type. In the prospective
study, there were no statistically significant differences in the seroprevalence of antibodies
against any of the HPV types examined between incident cases and controls. In the
case-control studies, as expected, antibodies against HPV 16 were associated with a
self-reported history of an abnormal cervical smear and antibodies against HPV 6 were
associated with a self-reported history of genital warts, validating the methodology. However,
no clear associations between any of the HPV types examined (including betaHPVs)
and prevalent SCC were identified. Adjustment for potential confounding factors, such as
self-reported history of sun exposure made no material difference to the results. Limitations
of the studies are the low statistical power and the use of new serological assays.
These serological data do not provide evidence in support of a role for HPV in the aetiology
of cutaneous SCC. | en_US |
