Some estimates place the proportion of human malignancies attributable to viruses at between 15 and 20 percent. Viruses including the human papillomavirus are considered an interesting but controversial etiological risk factor for breast cancer. HPV infection is anticipated to be an early trigger in breast cancer carcinogenesis, followed by cumulative alterations over time (“hit and run” mechanism) through synergy with other environmental factors. The association between HPV and breast cancer has not yet been verified. There are very conflicting data on the presence of HPV DNA in breast cancer samples, and we lack a clarified, exact mode of HPV transmission to the breast. In our review article we analyzed the up-to-date knowledge about the association of HPV and breast cancer. Furthermore, we summarized the available original research published since 2010. In conclusion, the complexity and inconsistency of the available results together with the relatively low prevalence of HPV infection requires extensive research with much larger studies and exact and unified diagnostic methods are required to better understand the role of the HPV in breast carcinogenesis.

Medicinal mushrooms have been used as a medicinal tool for many centuries and, nowadays, are used in the prevention and therapy of various diseases, including as an adjunct to cancer treatment. It is estimated that 14–16% of global cancer cases are caused by infectious events; one well-known infectious agent that leads to cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is responsible for more than 99.7% of cervical cancer cases and also may play a role in vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, rectal, and oropharyngeal carcinogenesis. Coriolus versicolor, a basidiomycetes class mushroom, consists of glycoproteins called polysaccharide-K (PSK) and polysaccharopeptide (PSP), which are mainly responsible for its effectiveness in the fight against a variety of cancers. Its beneficial effect lies in its ability to arrest different phases of the cell cycle, immunomodulation or induction of apoptosis. Coriolus versicolor extractcan reduces BCL-2 expression or increases the expression of p53 tumour suppressor genes in breast tumour cell lines. Inhibition of proliferation was also demonstrated with HeLa cells, while cervical cytology abnormalities improved in patients who locally applied Coriolus versicolor-based vaginal gel. Coriolus versicolor extract itself, and also its combination with another medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, leads to improved HPV clearance in HPV cervical or oral-positive patients. Medicinal mushrooms can also increase the effectiveness of vaccination. This review considers the use of medicinal mushrooms as a suitable adjunct to the treatment of many cancers or precanceroses, including those caused by the HPV virus.

Multiple high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infections in young women are poorly characterized across age and cytology, particularly with partial genotyping. We assessed multiple hrHPV infections among HPV-positive women aged 18–25 years with NILM, ASC-US, or LSIL; the secondary objective was hrHPV positivity among electively tested women with NILM. This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed 2024 laboratory data from northern Slovakia. Of 7613 unique women, 7574 met cytological eligibility criteria; 804 underwent cobas 4800 testing, and 295 were hrHPV-positive. Multiple infection, defined as concurrent detection of at least two reportable categories (HPV16, HPV18, or other hrHPV), occurred in 69/295 women (23.4%; 95% CI, 18.9–28.5%). No statistically detectable variation was observed by cytology after age adjustment (p = 0.471) or by age after cytology adjustment (p = 0.891). Among women with multiple infections, HPV16 combined with other hrHPV was the most frequent pattern (30/69; 43.5%). Among 396 electively tested women with NILM, 75 were hrHPV-positive (18.9%; 95% CI, 15.4–23.1%); positivity was lower at ages 23–25 than 18–22 (10.6% vs. 26.6%; OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.19–0.57; p < 0.001). The NILM estimate describes a self-selected preventive cohort and is not population-representative.

Background/Objectives: Cervical cancer is a common malignancy in women worldwide, closely associated with persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Epigenetic mechanisms, particularly promoter methylation, may contribute to tumour progression. This pilot study aimed to analyse the promoter methylation patterns and gene expression of selected genes (DNMT, BCL2, CDH1, CD8A, MUC1, ALCAM). The goal was to identify associations between promoter hypermethylation, gene expression, and HPV infection in cervical swab specimens obtained from patients with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs), high-grade SILs, or squamous cell carcinomas. Methods: A total of 81 cervical swab samples from Slovak participants were included in the study. DNA methylation and gene expression profiling was performed using real-time PCR (qPCR) and pyrosequencing. Results: BCL2 expression was significantly reduced across all lesion grades. CD8A expression was slightly elevated in low- and high-grade SILs, particularly in HPV-positive samples. MUC1 showed variability with lesion grade. No statistically significant differences in DNA methylation were observed across groups stratified by HPV status, community state type, and lesion grade. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BCL2 downregulation and gene activity variability influenced by the vaginal microbiome may play a role in cervical lesion progression. These results highlight potential non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring cervical lesions.

Background: Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common malignancy among women worldwide. Despite vaccination and regular screening, new molecular biomarkers are needed for improved early detection and risk assessment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in post-transcriptional regulation, and their dysregulation may contribute to cervical carcinogenesis. This study evaluated the expression of selected miRNAs in cervical swab samples and corresponding biopsies from women with various grades of cervical lesions and assessed their relationship with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Methods: A total of 72 cervical swab samples were included in this study, divided according to cytological severity: negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM, n = 15), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US, n = 12), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL, n = 19), and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL, n = 26). In a subset of patients, corresponding biopsy specimens were analysed for comparison. The association of miRNA expression with HPV infection status was also examined. miRNA expression was quantified by real-time PCR using commercially available assays. Results: To assess the relationship between miRNA expression, lesion severity, and HPV infection, fold change values were compared to the control group (NILM). No significant differences were observed in the ASC-US group (p > 0.05). In contrast, several miRNAs were significantly upregulated in the LSIL and/or HSIL groups, as well as in HPV-positive samples, indicating their association with both lesion progression and viral infection. Specifically, miR-17-5p, miR-26b-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-103a-3p, miR-106a-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-155-5p, and miR-191-5p showed increased expression (p < 0.05) compared with controls. The observed upregulation of miR-26b-5p, miR-106a-5p, and miR-146a-5p highlights their potential role in HPV-associated cervical carcinogenesis. Dysregulated miRNAs were enriched in pathways related to infectious diseases, various types of cancer, and cell adhesion processes. Conclusions: The gradual increase in specific miRNAs with lesion severity and HPV infection suggests their role in cervical carcinogenesis. The identified miRNAs may serve as promising non-invasive biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of HPV-associated cervical lesions.