Mendelian randomization analyses support causal relationships between HPV infection and colorectal cancer

Abstract

Background Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections leading to a variety of diseases are a global public health issue.Despite the well-established link between HPV infection and cervical and anogenital cancers, there is ongoing debate regarding the relationship between HPV infection and colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods We evaluated the causal connection between HPV infection and CRC utilizing five Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) datasets for HPV were obtained from the IEU Open GWAS project. A large summary of colorectal adenocarcinoma and colorectal cancer data from the FinnGen database was used as the outcome. Results Our analysis revealed a significant association between genetically predicted HPV-16 infection and the risk of paternal colorectal adenocarcinoma (HPV-16: OR 1.058, 95% CI 1.013–1.102; p = 0.011), as well as CRC (HPV-16: OR 1.045, 95% CI 1.005–1.085; p = 0.025). Conclusion These findings provide compelling evidence for a causal effect of HPV infection on the development of CRC. Further investigations into the underlying mechanisms and elucidation of this association are necessary to identify viable interventions for the prevention and treatment of HPV-associated CRC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12672-024-01639-0.