HPV 16 and HPV 18 has been found in 28 per cent of cases of GBM, and in cases of meningioma; and it has been linked to a worse prognosis.
We have covered research on the presence of cytomegalovirus and brain cancers in the past. We also covered what steps people with primary GBM, or secondary brain cancer can do to deal with it.
Other Herpes family members, particularly HPV, seem also to be linked to developing a GBM, and to a worse prognosis.
Research indicates that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is present in a significant subset of brain tumors, particularly glioblastoma and meningioma, suggesting a potential association with their development. A study from Romania revealed a positive correlation between HPV presence and glioma malignancy (1),
HPV DNA, specifically types HPV16 and HPV18, has been found in approximately 23–28% of glioblastoma specimens and 25% of meningioma cases, compared to lower rates in healthy brain tissue. In a 2019 study, HPV infection was found in 28% of brain tumour patients; 16% were HPV-type 16 and 20% were HPV-type 18.
Interestingly, the most commonly overexpressed molecular marker in HPV-positive patients was cyclo-oxygenase-2, and no histologic changes were seen in HPV-positive GBM cases (2).
This is not new research; one study from Italy was written up in 2013 (3).
The presence of HPV in primary brain tumors is linked to worse prognosis and increased malignancy, with viral proteins like L1 indicating active infection within cancer cells.
Additionally, HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a distinct tendency to metastasize to the brain, where the virus often shows genomic integration into host DNA, further driving tumor aggressiveness. While these findings suggest a causal role, further large-scale studies are needed to confirm HPV as a direct oncogenic trigger for primary brain cancer.
You can be checked for both cytomegalovirus and HPV. I’m alarmed by how few people are checked though, especially by their oncologist.
We have an article on HPV and how you might start to clear it from your body.
Go to : HPV and cancer - are there any natural treatments?
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References
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Viral oncogenesis in tumours of the central nervous system: reality or random association? A retrospective study on archived material; Dorel Eugene Arsene et al; J Cell Mol Med. 2022 Feb 2;26(5):1413–1420.
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Human Papillomavirus and Human Cytomegalovirus Infection and Association with Prognosis in Patients with Primary Glioblastoma in Pakistan; Syed Muhammad Adnan Ali et al; World Neurosurgery, Date: January 2019, pages e931-e939, vol 121
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Evidence of association of human papillomavirus with prognosis worsening in glioblastoma multiforme; Michele Vidone et al; Neuro Oncol. 2013 Nov 26;16(2):298–302.