Evaluating the proposal of paediatric virology: An interview with Professor Tina Dalianis, Professor of Tumour Virology at Karolinska Institutet

Abstract

Professor Tina Dalianis, Professor of Tumour Virology at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, is a well-known virologist with a strong international reputation and seminal contributions in tumour virology in the fields of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and polyomaviruses. According to Professor Dalianis, over the past decades virology has significantly contributed to the understanding of many infectious diseases in medicine. In addition, quite a few antiviral therapies have been developed in recent years that have been very helpful, while the study of viruses has also provided valuable information about their host cells and basic cell biology. She highlights the association of HPVs with tonsillar and base of tongue cancers, as well as their epidemic rise. She also refers to additional biomarkers, which are under investigation, in order to better individualise patient care, by for example, de-escalating or targeted therapy, whenever this is possible. She clarifies that the current prophylactic vaccines against HPVs are very efficient for the types they are directed against and she hopes that boys will also soon be vaccinated against HPVs, particularly in countries where there is a low percentage of girls being vaccinated. According to Professor Dalianis, the knowledge of virology is very useful in general paediatric practice; the proposal of paediatric virology as a medical subspecialty is absolutely correct and it would be very useful, as there is much to be done. In the context of the ‘4th Workshop on Paediatric Virology’, Professor Tina Dalianis will give the plenary lecture of this scientific event and will focus on changes in the prevalence of different HPVs in genital and oral samples in some groups of youth in Sweden during the introduction of the vaccines against HPVs.

Anogenital siğiller: İnsan papilloma virüsü, klinik bulguları ve tedavi stratejileri üzerine bir güncelleme

“…Besides, HPV can be transmitted vertically from the mother to the child during delivery which may result in neonatal and congenital, oral, or conjunctival lesions. 18,19 Anogenital warts in immunsupression: Immuncompromised individuals have a higher risk of malignant transformation and higher risk of coinfection with more than one HPV type and also have a higher viral load. AGWs are larger and more treatment resistant with higher recurrence rates.…”

“…Cervical cancer: High-risk HPV subtypes (HPV 16 and HPV 18) are the causes of approximately 70% of invasive cervical cancer and it is estimated that 500,000 cases of cervical cancer occur each year worldwide. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] A study of paraffin-embedded samples of 10,575 cases of cervical cancer demonstrated that the most common HPV types were 16,18,31,33,35,45,52, and 58; HPV types 16 and 18 represented 71% of the cases overall. 25 Other anogenital cancers: Vaginal, vulvar, penile and anal cancers and their precancerous precursors such as vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (IN), penile IN, anal IN are other associated neoplasies.…”

Paediatric Virology and innovation in medical education: An interview with Dr Ioannis N. Mammas, Consultant Paediatrician on the island of Euboea (Greece) and Coordinator of the Paediatric Virology Study Group

“…On October 10th, 2015, he presented the '2015 Paediatric Virology proposal' (14), which, to date, has attracted the critical interest of several leading experts in the scientific fields of Neonatology, Paediatrics, PID and Virology (15). Although this debate has already tagged difficulties, challenges and limitations on the role of Paediatric Virology as a separate paediatric subspecialty, the '2015 Paediatric Virology proposal' has been evaluated as 'a call for innovation in paediatric education' (16) and 'an educational goal for advanced academic excellence' (17); the potential value of Paediatric Virology subspecialists in the future has undoubtedly been accepted (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28).…”

[Editorial] Does Europe need paediatric virologists?

“…In Europe, as it will be highlighted in the context of the ‘4th Workshop on Paediatric Virology’ ( 6 – 9 ), paediatric virologists are definitely required and should exist in the tertiary centres of each country, having a strategically principal role, both clinical and academic, in the fight against viral infections occurring in neonates and children. In the UK, for example, with a population which grew to an estimated 65.1 million in 2015, paediatric virologists of the National Health System (NHS) should be located in UK reference centres, providing they have the capacity to provide comprehensive coverage for the UK between them.…”