Genetic Association Between High-Risk HPV (HPV16 and HPV18) Infection and Tumor Development: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Observational and experimental studies have provided substantial evidence supporting a link between cervical cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Nevertheless, there is uncertainty regarding the association of benign and malignant cancers with HPV infection.

METHODS

The study was divided into two approaches, Mendelian randomization (MR) and multivariate Mendelian randomization (MVMR), to investigate the link between HPV and both benign and malignant cancers. This study employed genetic variants as instrumental variables to mitigate potential biases arising from confounding factors and reverse causality. In 338 cases and 1000 controls in the European ancestry of Germany, independent genetic variations were identified as having a substantial correlation (p < 5 × 10-5) with exposure and HPV infection. The outcome variables data of various carcinomas were acquired from the Genome-wide association summary data. Meanwhile, benign tumors from the FinnGen and UK Biobank (UKB) consortium were acquired as well.

RESULTS

Following correction for multiple testing, the MVMR method was employed and the causal association was investigated between genetic liability to HPV infection and various malignancies, including bone and articular cartilage, bladder cancer, secondary malignant neoplasm of the liver, prostate cancer, as well as benign tumors including melanocytic naevi of the lip, brain, bronchus and lung, lip, mouth and pharynx, pancreas, and haemangioma and lymphangioma, and female genitalia.

CONCLUSIONS

From a genetic standpoint, HPV may contributes to the formation of benign and malignant tumors in female genital cancer as well as malignancies in other regions of the body, which should inform public health policy.