Bladder cancer may be linked to HPV

GRANADA, Spain, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- University of Granada researchers in Spain have analyzed 44 papers and conclude it is probable that Human Papillomavirus is related to bladder cancer.

Study leader Jose Gutierrez Fernandez said that determining the relationship between bladder cancer and HPV depends on the method used. Scientists found different results depending on whether the research was based on the person’s DNA or via an antigen.

The great majority of the studies use Polymerase Chain Reaction for the analysis and with this technique it is possible to duplicate as many times as desired a fragment of DNA in a test tube.

The relationship between HPV and bladder cancer might be due to the fact that the microorganism which generates the infection has DNA and therefore it acts directly on the cell nucleus and makes the cell cancerous, explained Fernandez.

Fernandez said the research points to a relationship between HVP and bladder cancer, however, "in order to draw a final conclusion, it is necessary to carry out a study with a sufficient number of cases and samples in which a combination of several microbiological techniques is applied to the same subject and sample."