Study: HPV Higher in Lung Cancer Patients

(NewsCore) - Lung cancer patients have greater amounts of antibodies to the human papillomavirus than the rest of the population, according to new research, Science News reported Saturday.

A team of French researchers compared thousands of blood samples of healthy people and lung cancer patients and found that people without lung cancer have low rates of HPV antibodies, less than five percent. The rates for eight strains of HPV were significantly higher among the lung cancer group and did not differ based on whether they were smokers, former smokers or had never smoked.

They presented their research at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Orlando this week.

HPV is a known cause of cervical cancer, but is also linked to several other types of cancer, including several head and neck cancers. It also causes a lung condition called respiratory papillomatosis.

HPV has been found in lung cancer patients in other small studies. It is still not understood if role the virus plays in the development of lung cancer.

Read more: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/72491/title/News_in_Brief_American_Association_for_Cancer_Research?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed