However, this possibility is still a long way in the future. First it will be essential to understand how the CEF protein works inside the cell and how it causes the virus E6 and E7 genes to be activated. Cancer Basics Cervical cancer is one of the most common female cancers, responsible for 500,000 deaths in the world every year. An important part of the cause of this cancer is a virus, called HPV16. Almost every case of cervical cancer starts with an infection of this, or a very similar, virus.
Viruses carry a small number of genes, each of which codes for a different virus activity.
There are two genes on the HPV16 virus, called E6 and E7, which can cause cells to become cancerous.