The role of HR-HPV integration in the progression of premalignant lesions into different cancer types

Human Papillomavirus Genotyping and Viral Load as a Predictor of Cervical Lesions: A Prospective Study

This prospective study aims to examine the impact of changes in viral load on the occurrence of cervical lesions and to evaluate viral load as a biomarker for predicting cervical lesions and triaging HPV-positive patients. From September 2022 to August 2023, 1150 women aged 25-60 were enrolled at the Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital. All participants tested positive for HPV and negative for both cytology and pathology. A follow-up was conducted 6 months later to reassess HPV status and perform colposcopy. BMRT was employed to detect various HPV types and their viral loads. The ROC curve was utilized to determine the viral load cut-off values for different HPV types to predict cervical lesions. From baseline to follow-up, women whose HPV infection cleared were significantly younger than those with persistent HPV infection (p < 0.001). At baseline, the viral loads of the virus clearance, maintenance, and progression groups demonstrated an increasing trend (p < 0.001). Among women diagnosed with CIN during follow-up, the viral load increased significantly from baseline to follow-up (p = 0.001). The combination of HPV genotyping and viral load in the initial screening of cervical cancer enhances the prediction and identification of cervical lesions.

Roles of human papillomavirus in cancers: oncogenic mechanisms and clinical use

Human papillomaviruses, particularly high-risk human papillomaviruses, have been universally considered to be associated with the oncogenesis and progression of various cancers. The genome of human papillomaviruses is circular, double-stranded DNA that encodes early and late proteins. Each of the proteins is of crucial significance in infecting the epithelium of host cells persistently and supporting viral genome integrating into host cells. Notably, E6 and E7 proteins, classified as oncoproteins, trigger the incidence of cancers by fostering cell proliferation, hindering apoptosis, evading immune surveillance, promoting cell invasion, and disrupting the balance of cellular metabolism. Therefore, targeting human papillomaviruses and decoding molecular mechanisms by which human papillomaviruses drive carcinogenesis are of great necessity to better treat human papillomaviruses-related cancers. Human papillomaviruses have been applied clinically to different facets of human papillomavirus-related cancers, including prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Several types of prophylactic vaccines have been publicly utilized worldwide and have greatly decreased the occurrence of human papillomavirus-related cancers, which have benefited numerous people. Although various therapeutic vaccines have been developed and tested clinically, none of them have been officially approved to date. Enhancing the efficacy of vaccines and searching for innovative technologies targeting human papillomaviruses remain critical challenges that warrant continuous research and attention in the future.