PhD defence by Marianne Gardar Stærk

Aspects of penile cancer development - Exploring the role of penile lichen sclerosus and human papillomavirus in penile cancer

Assessment Committee:
Professor Mikkel Mejlgaard Fode, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Professor Jan Blaakær, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Dr Kate Cuschieri, Lead HPV Research Group, Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh

Supervisors:
Clinical Professor Susanne Krüger Kjær
Senior Researcher Christian Munk
Clinical Teaching Associate Professor Birgitte Grønkær Toft

Department:
Department of Clinical Medicine

Graduate Programme:
Public Health and Epidemiology

Place:
Room: 7.2.A.B (Biografen), Kræftens Bekæmpelse, Strandboulevarden 49, 2100, KBH Ø

Email address to gain access to the thesis: staerk.marianne@gmail.com 
You will either receive a copy of the thesis or be informed where you can read a physical copy.

Short description of the thesis:
Penile cancer is among the rarer malignancies with an average of 77 new penile cancers diagnosed each year in Denmark. Most of these cancers are squamous cell carcinomas arising in the squamous epithelium of the glans or foreskin of the penis. The existing literature underscores two major etiological pathways for penile cancer: A pathway related to persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection and a pathway related to local chronic inflammation such as penile lichen sclerosus (LSc). Due to the rarity of this cancer, there is a scarcity in large-scale and population-based data on penile LSc and HPV in penile cancer development. The overall aim of this thesis was to provide data based on large-scale studies to explore the role of penile lichen sclerosus, representing the chronic inflammatory pathway, and HPV in penile cancer.