A common type of human papillomavirus (HPV) could be more dangerous than we thought. The virus , known as beta-HPV, was thought in rare cases to contribute to skin cancer by worsening UV damage, but a new study suggests it can actually hijack the body's cells to directly drive cancer growth.

These fresh conclusions came from a study of a 34-year-old woman who sought medical help for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) on her forehead. Her tumors were repeatedly growing back, even after immunotherapy and surgeries.

A closer genetic analysis revealed something surprising: the beta-HPV had actually integrated itself into the DNA of the woman's tumor, where it was producing viral proteins that helped the cancer thrive.

Before now, beta-HPV had never been found to integrate into

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