Study of an aggressive cancer suggests need for tr

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A common type of human papillomavirus (HPV) could be more dangerous than we thought. The virus, known as beta-HPV, was thought in rare cases to contribute to skin cancer by worsening UV damage, but a new study suggests it can actually hijack the body's cells to directly drive cancer growth....

A closer genetic analysis revealed something surprising: the beta-HPV had actually integrated itself into the DNA of the woman's tumor, where it was producing viral proteins that helped the cancer thrive....

"It suggests that there may be more people out there with aggressive forms of cSCC who have an underlying immune defect and could benefit from treatments targeting the immune system," says immunologist Andrea Lisco from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

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