Could HPV Play a Role in Brain Cancer?

Emerging research is raising interesting questions about the relationship between viruses, chronic infection and some forms of brain cancer.

We already know that certain viruses can contribute to the development of cancer.

Human papillomavirus — better known as HPV — is perhaps one of the best-known examples. Persistent infection with certain high-risk strains, particularly HPV16 and HPV18, is firmly associated with cervical cancer and several other cancers.

But could HPV also have a relationship with some brain tumours?

Research over the past decade suggests this is an area worthy of much closer attention.

HPV has been found inside brain tumours

A 2022 study published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine examined brain tumour tissue from people with glioma and meningioma and compared it with non-tumour brain tissue.

Researchers looked for a number of different viruses, including members of the herpesvirus family, polyomaviruses and HPV.

Interestingly, HPV was the virus most frequently detected.

HPV was found in:

• 29.5% of glioblastoma samples

• 25% of meningioma samples

• compared with 7.5% of control brain tissue

The researchers found HPV significantly more frequently in people with glioma and meningioma than in the control group.

They also reported an association between HPV positivity and increasing malignancy within the glioma group.

However, there is an important distinction here:

Finding HPV within a tumour does not mean HPV caused the tumour.

The researchers themselves emphasised that larger studies are needed before a causal relationship can be established.

Earlier research found something similar

This wasn't the first study to raise the question.

Researchers in Italy examined 52 glioblastoma samples and detected HPV DNA in 12 of the 52 tumours — approximately 23%.

HPV16, one of the high-risk cancer-associated HPV strains, was identified in some of those samples.

Perhaps even more interestingly, researchers also detected HPV L1 viral protein within tumour cells, suggesting that HPV genetic material was not simply an incidental contaminant within the tissue.

They also observed a tendency towards poorer survival amongst people whose glioblastomas were HPV-positive.

Among patients aged 50 and over, HPV positivity was associated with a statistically significant worsening of prognosis in the study.

Again, this was a relatively small study, so it should be viewed as an interesting finding rather than definitive evidence that HPV drives glioblastoma.

What about cytomegalovirus?

HPV isn't the only virus being investigated in relation to brain cancer.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has also been studied extensively in glioblastoma, although research findings remain conflicting and its precise role has not been established.

This emerging field raises a much bigger and fascinating question:

What role might persistent viral infections play in the environment surrounding cancer?

Cancer rarely develops because of one single factor.

Genetics, immune function, chronic inflammation, metabolic health, environmental exposures, lifestyle and infections may all contribute to the biological environment in which abnormal cells either flourish or are successfully controlled.

Viruses are particularly interesting because some can interfere with mechanisms involved in:

• immune surveillance

• inflammation

• cell proliferation

• apoptosis — the body's normal process for removing damaged cells

• tumour-suppressor pathways

HPV, for example, is known to produce the viral proteins E6 and E7, which can interfere with the important tumour-suppressor proteins p53 and retinoblastoma protein (pRb).

That mechanism is well established in HPV-related cervical and other cancers.

Whether something similar contributes to the biology of some brain cancers remains an open research question.

Why does this matter?

For anyone navigating cancer, this doesn't mean that discovering HPV provides a simple explanation — or that clearing a virus will treat the cancer.

But it does reinforce something I believe is worth considering within an integrative approach:

What else is creating biological stress within the body?

Alongside appropriate oncology treatment, there may be value in understanding factors such as immune health, chronic inflammation, infections, nutrient status, metabolic health, gut health, sleep and stress.

Testing for HPV or other viruses is something that can be discussed with an appropriately qualified healthcare practitioner, particularly where there is a relevant clinical history.

And where might ozone therapy fit?

One of the reasons ozone therapy has been explored within integrative medicine is its interaction with oxidative signalling, immune regulation and inflammatory pathways.

Ozone has also been investigated experimentally for antimicrobial effects against viruses, bacteria and fungi.

However, it is important to make the distinction that evidence of antiviral effects does not mean ozone therapy has been shown to treat HPV-associated brain cancer or glioblastoma. It has not.

For people using ozone therapy alongside conventional medical care, its role should therefore be considered supportive and integrative rather than a replacement for oncology treatment.

The bigger conversation is one of supporting terrain — helping create the healthiest possible internal environment while investigating the many factors that may be contributing to disease.

And research such as this reminds us that viruses may be one piece of that much larger puzzle.

Research referenced

Arsene DE, Milanesi E, Dobre M.Viral oncogenesis in tumours of the central nervous system: reality or random association? A retrospective study on archived material.Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. 2022;26(5):1413–1420.

Ali SMA, Mirza Y, Ahmad Z, Zahid N, Enam SA.Human Papillomavirus and Human Cytomegalovirus Infection and Association with Prognosis in Patients with Primary Glioblastoma in Pakistan.World Neurosurgery. 2019;121:e931–e939.

Vidone M, et al.Evidence of association of human papillomavirus with prognosis worsening in glioblastoma multiforme.Neuro-Oncology. 2014;16(2):298–302.

This article is provided for educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose or treat disease or replace advice from your medical or oncology team.