SBA — Single Best Answer · Review
Question 432
Pathology → General
Classification
Question
SSBAQuestion Header
A cervical epithelial lesion progresses through dysplasia toward invasive malignancy. Which infectious agents have the strongest specific association with this malignant pathway?
Question Stem
Select the single best answer.
Options
A
Epstein-Barr virus types 1 and 2
B
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses
C
Human herpesvirus 8
D
Human papillomavirus types 16 and 18
E
Parvovirus B19
Explanation
High-risk human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 are strongly associated with cervical malignancy. This provides an infectious association with the dysplasia-to-neoplasia pathway relevant to cervical disease.
Option Validity
A) Epstein-Barr virus is associated with malignancies including Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma rather than the cervical association described.
B) Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses are associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.
C) Human herpesvirus 8 is associated with Kaposi sarcoma.
E) Parvovirus B19 is associated with erythema infectiosum rather than cervical malignancy.
Further Reading
Saxena R. Textbook for MRCOG-1. Chapter 5: Pathology. General Pathology, pp.161–175.