Joseph Rotondi
Mikhoel Siyanov
Maria Santos
Verdiner Wolf
Abram Zavulunov

Group 6: HPV as a leading cause of Cancer

Human papillomavirus (HPV) was founded in the 1950s as a virus infection that is associated to many cancers. It is primarily transmitted through sexual contact and less intimate skin-to-skin contact. Preventions have been implemented to raise awareness of the virus. The first vaccine for HPV approved as a widespread use in the US was in 2006. The virus acts to infect the keratinocytes in the skin and mucosal membrane. Other areas the HPV acts as a carcinogen are the cervix, anus, penis, vulva, vagina, oropharynx, benign genital and cutaneous warts, respiratory papillomatosis, and nasal or oral papilloma. Some researchers have concluded that the HPV infection which is more common during the active period of age is directly related to certain cancers. Researchers have found that HPV is associated with certain types of cancers and also have found that HPV can have no association with certain cancers. The research we did will explain the various cancers associated with HPV and attempt to answer the question “is HPV the leading cause of cancer?”
In the United Stated and around the world, cancer is and continues to be a very serious disease that affects millions of people. Head and neck cancers are “the sixth most common cancer in the world” (Lajer et al. 2012). While the link between HPV and cervical cancer has been established; it is still unclear to researchers how HPV is related to head and neck cancer. The authors assert that alcohol and tobacco used to be the main cause of head and neck cancer; however, there has been a decrease in the tobacco-alcohol induced cancers, yet there is an increase in the prevalence of cancer (Lajer et al. 2012). The authors state further that there is an increase in the prevalence of HPV induced head and neck