No Genetic Causal Association Between Human Papillomavirus and Lung Cancer Risk A Bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis

Abstract This study systematically explores whether human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is causally related to lung cancer risk through a bidirectional Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization analysis. Using data from the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO) genome-wide association study dataset, comprising 11,348 lung cancer (LUCA) cases and 15,861 controls, we utilized genetic variants associated with the HPV E7 protein as instrumental variables. Our two-sample Mendelian Randomization analysis found no causal relationship between HPV infection and lung cancer (LUCA), including its subtypes squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Reverse analysis yielded similar results, indicating no significant causal link between LUCA and its subtypes and HPV infection. In conclusion, our findings do not support a genetic association between HPV infection and lung cancer.