“Can HPV cause skin cancer?”
I recently had Mohs procedure done on my left groin to follow with 2 weeks of chemo cream to apply around incision after 6 weeks. I had just a small red area on my groin, was not painful, raised, itching etc. I had a biopsy, was squamous cell carcinoma. I was told by surgeon he was sure it was caused by HPV even though he saw no signs when tissue examined.
My husband and I have been together 15 years both faithful. I have never had abnormal paps but did have hysterectomy in 2015 during a bladder tact repair. Have you heard of this type of cancer before and HPV in the body many years before causing cancer such as this?
My husband and I have been together 15 years both faithful. I have never had abnormal paps but did have hysterectomy in 2015 during a bladder tact repair. Have you heard of this type of cancer before and HPV in the body many years before causing cancer such as this?
Female | 69 years old
Complaint duration: Surgery done Oct 4 2019
Medications: prevastatin
Conditions: No other
3 Answers
It is accepted that HPV can cause squamous cell cancer of the vulvar area. There are reports in the literature that HPV can also be found in squamous cell cancer of the skin, basal cell cancer of the skin, and even in melanoma. The HPV subtypes here may not be the same as those that classically cause squamous cell cancer of the anogenital and oropharyngeal areas.
In rare situations, HPV can cause skin cancer. Certain strains of HPV are associated with cervical cancer and although you have never had an abnormal pap smear, it is theoretically possible that the skin cancer you had may have been caused by HPV, if for no other reason, it was found in a non-sun-exposed area. It is just a guess since you never had a wart on your skin in that location. Men who are immune-suppressed can also have the same problem such as rectal cancer caused by anal warts. Just because this happened to you once doesn’t mean you are likely to get more. Simple routine observation and check-ups is all that is warranted. Dr. Stolar
Yes, HPV can cause skin cancer but usually it is not the only factor that contributes to the cancer's formation.
