[Warts, viruses, cancer (author's transl)]

The malignant transformation of cutaneous lesions in epidermodysplasia verruciformis (E.V.), which lesions are caused by a human papilloma virus (HPV), can be compared to that experimentally induced by the polyoma virus. Thus, HPV would undergo a lytic, transformant and/or abortive cycle in epidermal cells. In this latter case, it would increase cell DNA synthesis and there would be production of cellular antigens coded by the virus. This production of cellular antigens would be the result of the incorporation of part of HPV-DNA into the genome of the cell. The presence of part of HPV-DNA in the cell genome would also increase the susceptibility of infected cells to malignant transformation with other Papova viruses. On practical grounds it is not advisable to use potentially mutagenic treatments such as X or U. V. irradiations in the management of HPV induced lesions in man, especially those of E.V.