USMLE Question #484: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

A 33-year-old woman comes to the physician because of a 2-day history of mild nausea, increased urinary urgency and frequency, and constipation. She also has had a 4.5-kg (10-lb) weight loss during the past 2 weeks and a 3-week history of vaginal bleeding. Pelvic examination shows a nodular cervix with an irregular, friable posterior lip, and a rock-hard, irregular, immobile pelvic mass that extends across the pelvis. Examination of biopsy specimens from the cervix and anterior wall of the vagina show well-differentiated keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. Which of the following best describes the pathogenesis of this patient's disease?