Scientists Link Viruses, Cervical Cancer

The vast majority of women worldwide who develop cervical cancer acquire it from sexually transmitted viruses, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

It is now clear that cervical cancer should be fought as an infectious disease, scientists said, perhaps with a vaccine that would enable the body to hold the virus at bay before it has a chance to trigger cancer. The scientists, who examined tumors from 22 countries, found viral evidence in 93% of the cancers.

“This establishes that a sexually transmitted agent is responsible for one of the most important cancers in women,” said Dr. M. Michele Manos.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and by far the most common and fatal in developing nations.

A broad family of viruses, the human papillomaviruses, has long been implicated as a major risk factor for cervical cancer.

The Johns Hopkins study, appearing in today’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is the first to show that the viruses are the leading cause of cervical cancers on a worldwide basis.