Serum, cell-free, HPV-human DNA junction detection and HPV typing for predicting and monitoring cervical cancer recurrence
Almost all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomaviruses (HPVs). In most cases, HPV DNA is integrated into the human genome. We found that tumor-specific, HPV-human DNA junctions are detectable in serum cell-free DNA of a fraction of cervical cancer patients at the time of initial treatment and/or at 6 months following treatment. Retrospective analysis revealed these junctions were more…
Nearly all cervical cancers are triggered by human papillomaviruses (HPVs). In most instances, HPV DNA fuses with the human genome. Researchers discovered that unique HPV-human DNA junctions can be identified in the bloodstream of certain cervical cancer patients, both before their initial treatment and six months thereafter. These junctions were found to be more prevalent in women whose cancer returned later.
The study also revealed that cervical cancers caused by HPV strains outside of phylogenetic clade α9 had a higher chance of recurrence compared to cancers caused by α9 strains, despite α9 strains being more common, including HPV16, in cervical cancer. This suggests that detecting HPV-human DNA junctions in serum cell-free DNA and determining HPV types in tumor tissue could potentially predict the risk of recurrence.
Moreover, screening serum cell-free DNA for these junctions could provide a precise, non-invasive method to monitor the absence of cervical cancer recurrence after treatment.
Written by urgent.news from eLife's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
