Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Viral Proteins Substitute for the Impact of Somatic Mutations by Affecting Cancer-Related Genes: Meta-analysis and Perspectives

Purpose: Although a strong association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and a variety of cancers has long been established, infection by HPV alone has been shown to be insufficient for the induction of cancer, with a large number of HPV infections regressing without causing cancer. Additionally, HPV-negative cases have worse prognosis rates than HPV-positive ones across a multitude of cancer types. The reasons behind these phenomena are poorly understood. We try to explain it.