Human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with up to 4.5% of all cancer cases and is a significant healthcare burden, with 600 000 cases per annum. HPV vaccination has been introduced globally to mitigate this public health risk. Prophylactic vaccines against high-risk (HPV-16 and HPV-18) and low-risk (HPV-6 and HPV-11) HPV subtypes have revolutionised the field. More recently, there has been a focus on the role of HPV in disease prognosis and treatment. In this issue of European Urology Oncology, Bandini et al [ [1] ] report a retrospective analysis of the role of HPV as a prognostic factor for response to radiotherapy in the treatment of penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) following lymph node dissection.
- Nicholas Raison, Imperial Urology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK
- Suks Minhas, Department of Urology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK.
References:
- Bandini M., Zhu Y., Ye D.W. et al. Association between human papillomavirus infection and outcome of perioperative nodal radiotherapy for penile carcinoma. Eur Urol Oncol. 2021; 4: 802-810