Virus-Induced Cancers of the Skin and Mucosa: Are We Dealing with “Smoking Guns” or “Smoke and Mirrors” in the Operating Theatre?

Introduction Human papillomavirus (HPV) alone is thought to cause ~610,000 cases of cancer per year, and is the dominant aetiological agent for ano-genital (esp. cervical) and head and neck cancers (esp. oropharyngeal). Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is a more recently discovered virus which causes Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare but highly aggressive skin malignancy.