Dec 2025 DOI 10.14302/issn.2997-2108.jcc-25-5657
M Essam ZahraaCorresponding author
Viral infections contribute to a significant proportion of human cancers, with human papillomavirus (HPV) being one of the most well-established oncogenic viruses. This review summarizes HPV biology, transmission, classification, molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis, epidemiology of HPV-associated cancers, and current and emerging preventive and therapeutic approaches. particularly HPV-16 and HPV-18, drives malignant transformation through the E6 and E7 oncoproteins, which disrupt tumor suppressor pathways p53 and Rb. Prophylactic vaccination programs have demonstrated remarkable success in reducing HPV-related disease burden, but disparities in coverage remain. Cutting-edge strategies such as CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA-based therapeutics offer promising avenues for treating established infections. Integrating these biomedical advances with robust public health initiatives is essential to ultimately eliminate HPV-associated cancers worldwide (Figure1).
Nov 2018 DOI 10.14302/issn.2572-3030.jcgb-18-2428
Gupta ShilpiCorresponding author
Stem Cell and Cancer Research Lab, Amity Institute of Molecular Medicine & Stem Cell Research (AIMMSCR), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Sector-125, Noida-201313, India.
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are the most prevalent and aggressive type of cancers. Genetic, epigenetic, environmental and viral risk-factors are associated with HNC carcinogenesis. Persistent infection of oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs) represent distinct biological, molecular and epigenetic entities in HNCs. There are three main epigenetic mechanisms that regulate transcription, these are DNA methylation, histone modifications and alteration in non-coding RNA networks, which can dissected to identify innovative and accurate epigenetic biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of HNC patients. Due to the lacunae of accurate distinctive biomarkers for the definite diagnosis of HNC, the identification of predictive epigenetic markers is necessary that might modify or increase HNC patient’s survival. In this mini review, we briefly summarize the current knowledge of different epigenetic biomarkers in HNC.