Association of herpesvirus infection with the development of genital cancer

Clinical observations and epidemiological studies on genital cancer have revealed an association with sexual behavior, thus motivating research into sexually transmitted agents which may be responsible for the neoplasia. In this study, we used the PCR technique to examine the presence of CMV, HSV and EBV viruses in 187 cases of human genital lesions and found that infection with CMV or HSV was associated with cervical cancer. When we stratified according to HPV status this association was found only for HPV-DNA-negative cases. These findings indicate that past infection with CMV or HSV could be interpreted as a surrogate marker of HPV infection. However, these viruses may play an important role themselves in cervical cancer.