Esophagus Cancer and Human Papilloma Virus

The two most histopathologically common types of esophageal cancers are esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma. There is a high geographic variation in the incidence and mortality rates of esophageal cancer types. The varying incidence rates of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma between countries are related to variable risk factors such as epidemiological and etiological differences, possible dietary habits, and traditional behavioral patterns. It is well known that some viral infections play a role in various stages of carcinogenesis and cause the formation of malignant tumors. Among these factors, human papilloma virus is one of the most important. In fact, 15–20% of all cancers are caused by infectious pathogens. Apart from high-risk human papilloma virus, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus and Helicobacter pylori, a bacterial agent, are responsible for almost more than 90% of infectious malignancies. These pathogens are among the preventable risk factors for cancer by preventive public health practices or treatment. It has been proven by many studies that high-risk human papilloma virus causes anogenital (penis, vulva, vagina), cervical, and some oropharyngeal (including the tongue base and tonsils) malignancies. The human papilloma virus viral genome has been detected in most of the dysplastic lesions, which are accepted as precursor lesions of cervical malignancies. In recent studies, there is strong evidence that this pathogen, which was previously believed to infect only the squamous epithelium, also shows affinity to the glandular tissue and actually causes adenocarcinoma. The existence of a relationship between human papilloma virus and esophageal cancer is still unclear. In this chapter, we aim to compile the possible relationship between esophageal cancer types and human papilloma virus and discuss the effect of both developed and under-development vaccines on disease formation and prognosis.