Persistent Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection is Associated with Low Salivary Levels of Matrix Metalloproteinase 8 (MMP-8)

Approximately 24% of oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) are human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA positive [1]. However, the detection of HPV-DNA only is not a sufficient indicator of causality, and it has been estimated that the HPV attributable fraction in oral cavity SCC could be as low as 3.0 – 6.8%, depending on the biomarkers used [1,2]. Furthermore, HPV-involvement is highly dependent on, e.g., cancer site or geographical region [1,2]. A persistent HPV infection is a prerequisite for a HPV-related cancer to develop.
Source: Journal of Clinical Virology - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Full length article Source Type: research