New case study reveals common virus could cause skin cancer

Skin cancer is generally caused by damage to skin cells from ultraviolet radiation. But a recent case study has just shed light on another potential cause: human papillomavirus.

The report, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, focused on the case of a 34 -year -old woman who had been diagnosed with more than 40 epidermoid carcinomas (SCC). This is the second type of most common skin cancer.

The woman has also had many growing growths in her mouth and on her skin. These were attributed to a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Human papillomavirus is a common group of viruses that can infect the skin and other parts of the body. Although HPV does not cause any problems or symptoms in most people, in some cases, it can cause warts and is even linked to certain types of cancer – such as cervical cancer.

The woman of the last report was sent by her doctor to the team of researchers who conducted the case study. She had already undergone several surgeries and cycles immunotherapy To eliminate a large epidermoid carcinoma that goes up several times on its forehead. The patient’s doctor thought it could be due to a condition that made it more difficult for his immune cells to fight tumors.

The researchers carried out a genetic analysis on this recurring tumor to understand why she continued to repel. In normal circumstances, SCC tumors have a genetic signature which shows that their mutations have been caused by ultraviolet radiation. These mutations generally stimulate their growth.

However, the patient’s cancer did not have these signature changes. Instead, the researchers discovered that the infection by the VPH living on his skin had integrated into the DNA of the tumor on his forehead. It seemed to be the virus that really stimulated cancer growth.

There are more than 200 different types of HPV, some of which are associated with cancers. HPV19, which infects the skin, had not been previously linked to cancer. But in this case, he had become a thug and caused the carcinoma.

Unique case

This recent case study is unique, it should be said. There were many factors that allowed HPV infection to stimulate recurring growth in skin cancer.

The patient had long history of health problems from early childhood. This had attracted him to the attention of researchers who studied people who had problems with their immune system. A 2017 case report on her revealed that she had inherited mutations in two genes that play a role in immune function.

One of the mutated genes was ZAP70, which is involved in the normal function of a type of immune cell called cell T. This cell plays an essential role by helping the body fight against infections.

Hereditary changes in ZAP70 which prevent him from working were previously known to cause a condition called severe combined immunodeficiency. This condition is generally diagnosed in early childhood and, if it is not treated with a stem cell transplant, leads to death in the first two years of life. Being at the end of the twenty at that time, the woman became the oldest to have ever diagnosed an immune state ZAP70.

The second mutated gene, RNF168, is involved in repairing DNA damage.

The new team decided to study if it was the unique combination of mutations in the two genes that enabled the HPV infection to cause cancer. However, they concluded that the mutated RNF168 gene was a red herring.

The research team found that the patient’s RNF168 transfer was relatively common in the wider American population and was not linked to any health problems. A more in -depth study of its cells also revealed that its DNA repair processes were operating normally.

They then went to the ZAP70 gene. Here, they found that although the patient’s ZAP70 gene was transferred, it still worked in part. This explains why she had not succumbed to severe combined immunodeficiency in childhood. However, the mutation has always made its immune system less effective. So, because his response from T lymphocytes was not entirely functional, his body could not recognize and eliminate the cells infected with HPV.

After receiving a stem cell transplant which replaced its immune cells with those entirely functioning of a donor, the woman has completely recovered. The new T cells were able to recognize and destroy cells infected with HPV, including skin cancer. I hope it will now be without cancer for the years to come.

Immune health and cancer

This story highlights the importance of our immune system to protect us from cancer. Without this, even harmless viruses which generally coexist without danger on our skin can lead the formation of aggressive cancers.

It also shows how modern genomic technology transforms our understanding of the disease. Without genetic sequencing, doctors would still not be wiser on the reasons why this unhappy woman had so many aggressive skin tumors.

But this study also raises questions about the question of whether skin cancer based on HPV could be a broader and not recognized problem. The authors suggest that in the future, patients with aggressive and recurring dizzy carcinomas should be profiled for the function of T cells and the presence of HPV infections. Like the woman in this story, they could also benefit from immuno-boosting therapies to treat their cancers.

Sarah Allinson is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Life at Lancaster University.

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