High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Identification in Precancerous Cervical Intraepithelial Lesions

High prevalence of HPV 18 and multiple infections with oncogenic HPV genotypes in women at risk of cervical cancer examined in Manaus, Brazil

Cervical cancer is a serious public health problem in Brazil, especially in Manaus (Amazonas), the city with the highest incidence rate of cervical cancer in the country. Persistent infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes is the cause of disease development. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of oncogenic genotypes in women at high risk for cervical precancer examined in two policlinics in Manaus. One hundred and two patients who underwent colposcopy took part in the research. The DNA samples obtained from the cervical epithelium were analyzed by PCR with type-specific primers for the detection of eight oncogenic genotypes, which were chosen based on previous studies. The presence of HPV virus was detected in all samples. The most prevalent oncogenic genotypes were 18 (47.1%) and 16 (45.1%). Interestingly, HPV 18 was considered uncommon in this region. In addition to these, genotypes 31 (19.6%), 58 (19.6%), 33 (18.6%), and 45 (15.7%) also had a relatively high frequency in this population. Fifty-six women (54.9%) had multiple infections with up to five oncogenic types. Also, the presence of genotypes other than 16 and 18 was observed in most samples (57.8%), which also deserves attention since they are not covered by currently available vaccines against HPV in Brazil. The high prevalence and multiple infections with several oncogenic HPV genotypes in association with precursor lesions for cervical cancer highlighted the need to improve strategies to prevent this disease in Amazonas.

Exploring the potential impact of human papillomavirus on infertility and assisted reproductive technology outcomes

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted disease that has been linked to both cancer and reproductive health issues. While its impact on fertility and pregnancy success has been studied, there is still too little evidence about the influence of HPV on assisted reproductive technology (ART). Therefore, there exists a need for HPV testing in couples undergoing infertility treatments. Infertile men have been found to have a higher prevalence of seminal HPV infection, which can compromise sperm quality and reproductive function. As such, it could be important to investigate the correlation between HPV and ART outcomes in order to improve the quality of evidence. Understanding the potentially detrimental effects of HPV on ART outcomes may have promising important implications for the management of infertility. This minireview summarizes the so far limited developments in this area and highlights the major need for further well-designed studies to address this issue.

The Role of p16/Ki-67 Immunostaining, hTERC Amplification and Fibronectin in Predicting Cervical Cancer Progression: A Systematic Review

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are common sexually transmitted infectious agents responsible for several anogenital and head and neck cancers. Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth leading cause of death in women with cancer. The progression of a persistent HPV infection to cancer takes 15–20 years and can be preventable through screening. Cervical cytology (Pap smear) is the standard screening test for CC and precancerous lesions. For ASC-US and ASC-H lesions, a combination of Pap smear and HR-HPV analysis is recommended as a triage step before colposcopy. However, these tests cannot predict progression to CC. For this purpose, we summarized current scientific data on the role of p16/Ki-67 immunohistostaining, telomerase and fibronectin in predicting progression to CC. p16 and p16/Ki-67 dual staining (DS) were more specific than HR-HPV DNA testing for the detection of CIN2+/CIN3+ in women with ASC-US and LSIL. Similarly, hTERC FISH analysis significantly improved the specificity and positive predictive value of HPV DNA testing in differentiating CIN2+ from CIN2 cytological samples. In conclusion, p16 IHC, p16/Ki-67 DS and hTERC FISH amplification are all valid adjunctive biomarkers which significantly increase the sensitivity and specificity of cervical dysplasia diagnosis, especially when combined with HPV DNA testing. However, considering the global socioeconomic background, we can postulate that p16 and p16/ Ki-67 IHC can be used as a next step after positive cytology for ASC-US or LSIL specimens in low-income countries, instead of HPV DNA testing. Alternatively, if HPV DNA testing is covered by insurance, p16 or p16/Ki-67 DS and HPV DNA co-testing can be performed. In middle- and high-income countries, hTERC amplification can be performed as an adjunctive test to HPV DNA testing in women with ASC-US and LSIL.

Molecular Pathology of Human Papilloma Virus-Negative Cervical Cancers

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide and is predominantly caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). However, a small subset of cervical cancers tests negative for HPV, including true HPV-independent cancers and false-negative cases. True HPV-negative cancers appear to be more prevalent in certain pathological adenocarcinoma subtypes, such as gastric- and clear-cell-type adenocarcinomas. Moreover, HPV-negative cervical cancers have proven to be a biologically distinct tumor subset that follows a different pathogenetic pathway to HPV-associated cervical cancers. HPV-negative cervical cancers are often diagnosed at an advanced stage with a poor prognosis and are expected to persist in the post-HPV vaccination era; therefore, it is important to understand HPV-negative cancers. In this review, we provide a concise overview of the molecular pathology of HPV-negative cervical cancers, with a focus on their definitions, the potential causes of false-negative HPV tests, and the histology, genetic profiles, and pathogenesis of HPV-negative cancers.

Type-specific Distribution of Cervical hrHPV Infection and the Association with Cytological and Histological Results in a Large Population-based Cervical Cancer Screening Program: Baseline and 3-year Longitudinal Data

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the study design, and to analyze the type-specific distribution of cervical high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection and its association with cytological and histological results in a large population-based screening program in Buji Street, Shenzhen, China.

Methods: A total of 10,186 women aged 21-70 years were co-tested by Cobas4800 HPV assay and liquid-based cytology. Women were referred to colposcopy by virtue of being HPV16/18-positive, Other hrHPV-positive/ cytology ≥ASCUS, or HPV-negative/ cytology ≥LSIL. Three-year histological follow-up data were recorded.

Results: The overall prevalence of hrHPV infection was 11.1%; among them, the highest type was Other hrHPV (8.9%), followed by HPV16 (1.6%) and HPV18 (0.6%). Moreover, the prevalence of hrHPV and that of HPV16 increased with cytological severity (P_trend <0.001). In the baseline phase, 106 women had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 (CIN2/3) and six had cervical cancers. During 3-year follow-up, 12 cases of CIN2/3 and no cancers were identified. For HPV16-positive women with normal cytology, the baseline risks of CIN2/3 or worse (CIN2+/CIN3+) were 15.5% (7.0-23.9%) and 4.2% (1.4-8.5%) respectively. For Other hrHPV-positive women with normal cytology, the cumulative 3-year risks of CIN2+/CIN3+ were 3.1% (1.0-5.2%) and 0.7% (0.3-2.1%) respectively. Strikingly, 75.8% (322/425) of abnormal cytology and 50.9% (29/57) HSIL cytology were attributed to Other hrHPV infection in HPV-positive women. Similarly, Other hrHPV infection led to large proportions of CIN2 (62.7%) and CIN3+ (43.9%) over 3-year follow-up.

Conclusions: The co-testing modality is a feasible, effective and safe option for cervical cancer screening in urban population. Great importance should also be attached to 'genotypes excluding HPV16/18' and separate detection of each genotype when considering screening and vaccination strategy.