The Role of Human Papillomavirus in Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Long-term infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of cervical cancer and its precursor-cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The presence of HPV infection can be presumed in more than 99% of cases of cervical cancer worldwide. The introduction of DNA testing for the presence of HPV has increased the effectiveness of screening programs for the detection of this cancer. This article contains the latest reports on the structure, function and role of HPV in the development of cervical cancer. It was also underlined the importance of performing molecular tests for the presence of HPV DNA as a more sensitive and the most accurate method of detecting the threat posed by infection with this oncovirus. The review also highlights the most beneficial prophylactic algorithm, which should be guided by gynecologists during the diagnosis, individual clinical cases.

Inflammatory cytokines and a diverse cervicovaginal microbiome are associated with cervical disease in Hispanics living in Puerto Rico

“…Cervical cancer (CC) is a complex disease where the cervical environment is modified, including cytokine expression that leads to a local immunosuppression state (18). Approximately 15 highrisk HPV strains cause most cervical cancers; however the detection of HPV has a low positive predictive value for invasive cervical cancer, as few HPV+ women progress to High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (HGSIL) (6,37). Inflammation and the microbiome could be the missing link to understanding the actual cellular mechanisms leading to dysplasia and cancer.…”

“…All statistical analyses were done using GraphPad Prism 6.0 (San Diego, CA). (6,11,34,40,42,43,44,53,54,70,74)…”

“…HPV infections range from 90-100% prevalence in cervical abnormalities, from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion -HGSIL-to severe dysplasia and cancer (3), where the viral genome integration modulates the host cell cycle promoting neoplasia progression (4,5). However, other factors influence cervical disease progression, including lifestyle, genetic predisposition, immunosuppression, early onset of sexual activities, and many pregnancies and deliveries (6)(7)(8).…”

Inflammatory cytokines and a diverse cervicovaginal microbiota associate with cervical dysplasia in a cohort of Hispanics living in Puerto Rico

“…It uses SPF10 primers to amplify a 65-bp fragment of the L1 open reading frame of HPV genotypes, followed by a Reverse-Hybridization step to determine which HPV type is present by comparing to kit-provided controls. This assay allows for the identification of the following common mucosal HPV genotypes: 14 High-risk types including (HPV 16,18,31,33,35,39,45,51,52,56,58,59, 66 and 68/73) and 11 Low-risk types (6,11,34,40,42,43,44,53,54,70,74). Previous studies explain the method in detail [16,30].…”

“…HPV infections range from 90-100% prevalence in cervical abnormalities, from high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) to cancer [8], where the viral genome integration often modulates the host cell cycle promoting neoplasia progression [9,10]. However, other factors influence cervical disease progression, including lifestyle, genetic predisposition, immunosuppression, early onset of sexual activities, and many pregnancies and deliveries [11][12][13]. Nevertheless, why only a fraction of women acquires a long-lasting, persistent high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) that puts them at risk for developing Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) remains uncertain.…”