Lack of Association between Human Papillomavirus Type 16 and 18 Infections and Female Lung Cancer

Background: A carcinogenic role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in lung cancer development has been suggested through both clinical and laboratory research during the last two decades. Methods: We did a population-based case-control study nested within the Finnish Maternity Cohort to assess the role of HPV16/18 infections in female lung carcinogenesis. The Finnish Maternity Cohort containing samples from more than 600,000 subjects were linked with nationwide cancer registries (1973-2006). Serum samples were retrieved from 311 women who developed lung cancer and 930 matched controls. The samples were analyzed for antibodies to HPV types 16 and 18 and cotinine (a biomarker of tobacco exposure). Conditional logistic regression-based estimates of odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals adjusted for cotinine levels were calculated. Results: Overall, there was no evidence of increased risk of lung cancer associated with HPV 16 and 18 type-specific infections among nonsmokers and smokers, assessed via cotinine levels. Conclusions: The question of HPV-etiologic effect on lung carcinoma deserves further longitudinal studies using different HPV detection methods. Impact: Our results bring new insights into female HPV lung cancer research. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(7); 1879-81. (C) 2010 AACR.