Correction: The Influence of Hormonal Factors on the Risk of Developing Cervical Cancer and Pre-Cancer: Results from the EPIC Cohort

HPV and Cervical Cancer: A Review of Epidemiology and Screening Uptake in the UK

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in females worldwide, and a leading cause of death in the United Kingdom (UK). The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the strongest risk factor for developing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer. Across the UK, the national HPV immunisation programme, introduced in 2008, has been successful in protecting against HPV-related infections. Furthermore, the National Health Service (NHS) implemented the cytology-based cervical cancer screening service to all females aged 25 to 64, which has observed a decline in cervical cancer incidence. In the UK, there has been an overall decline in age-appropriate coverage since April 2010. In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted NHS cancer screening and immunisation programmes, leading to a 6.8% decreased uptake of cervical cancer screening from the previous year. Engagement with screening has also been associated with social deprivation. In England, incidence rates of cervical cancer were reported to be 65% higher in the most deprived areas compared to the least, with lifestyle factors such as cigarette consumption contributing to 21% of cervical cancer cases. In this article, we provide an update on the epidemiology of cervical cancer, and HPV pathogenesis and transmission, along with the current prevention programmes within the NHS.

Women's perception of cervical cancer pap smear screening

Aim

The study examines limiting factors associated with cervical cancer Pap smear screening among participants of reproductive age attending a healthcare facility in Namibia.

Design

A cross‐sectional descriptive and exploratory study was conducted.

Methods

The data were collected using a face‐to‐face interview (qualitative) and a structured questionnaire (quantitative). A total of 49 participants (10 qualitative and 39 quantitative) aged 17–45 years participated in the study.

Results

The study revealed that 80% of participants have limited knowledge of cervical cancer, while 49% have never done the test before and 8% were not informed of the screening and risk of the disease. Furthermore, 49% of participants responded that the screening fees are not affordable. Meanwhile, all participants (100%) complained of the long waiting period. Other main barriers for not screening were missed announcements and unsuitable time allocation. Knowledge on cervical cancer and turn‐up for Pap smear screening test was low among participants of reproductive age.

Sex hormone-like Effects of Icariin on T-cells immune modulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Epimedium brevicornu Maxim as a Chinese herb, is recommended for the treatment of menopausal women with hypertension for 50 years. Icariin, as the main hydrophilic ingredient of Epimedium brevicornu Maxim, has been proven to be a plant sex hormone and lower blood pressure down. Here, we hypothesized that Icariin can regulate T cells differentiation which leads to the blood pressure decrease in castrated SHR rats.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the exogenous estrogen, androgen and Icariin on T-cell modulation in hypertension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two weeks after castration, both male and female SHR rats were given estradiol, testosterone, and Icariin intervention respectively. Body weight, blood pressure, and heart rate were tested weekly. After six weeks, proportion of T helper cells (Th), cytotoxic T cells (Tc), and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and splenocytes were tested by flowcytometry. Serum levels of estrogen, testosterone, AngII, TNF-α, IL-17 were tested by Elisa. Aortic arches were isolated for HE and Masson staining. The expressions of ERβ and AR in aorta were tested by Western-blot.

RESULTS

In both male and female SHR rats, we found that Icariin and estradiol lower blood pressure, but testosterone elevates blood pressure. Similar as testosterone, Icariin can attenuate Tc and Th proportions and elevate Tregs proportion in both peripheral blood and splenocyte in male SHR, which can be blunt by flutamide. Besides, Icariin performs similar function as estradiol that attenuates Tc proportions and elevates Tregs proportion in both peripheral blood and splenocytes in female SHR, which leads to the lower blood pressure and can be partly blunt by fulvestrant. Testosterone increases AngII and TNF-α levels in serum, leading to the higher blood pressure in both male and female SHR rats.

CONCLUSION

These results verified that Icariin, as a plant sex hormone, can regulate T cells differentiation related to blood pressure decrease in SHR rats.

HOXC6 promotes cervical cancer progression via regulation of Bcl-2

Homeobox C6 ( HOXC6) is a transcription factor that plays an important role in the development of several cancers. However, it is unknown whether HOXC6 regulates cervical cancer progression. In this study, we used quantitative PCR and Western blots to demonstrate that HOXC6 overexpression is associated with cervical cancer progression. These results are also supported by the public RNA-seq data showing that HOXC6 overexpression is correlated with poor patient survival. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that enhanced HOXC6 expression results in cervical cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, anchorage colony formation, and xenograft tumor growth. Mechanistically, we show that HOXC6 up-regulates BCL2 expression through transcription regulation. Together, these results led us to conclude that overexpression of HOXC6 expression can enhance BCL2-mediated antiapoptotic effects to promote cervical cancer cell cycle progression and proliferation.-Wang, Y., Wang, C., Liu, N., Hou, J., Xiao, W., Wang, H. HOXC6 promotes cervical cancer progression via regulation of Bcl-2.

Influence of intrauterine dispositive in human papillomavirus clearance

INTRODUCTION

An important inverse relation between IUD use and risk of cervical cancer has been proved. Women who used IUD had half the risk of developing cervical cancer. The mechanism how IUD is a protector factor is still unknown. Could be improving the clearance of HPV infection or stopping progression to cancer from preneoplasic lesion. The aim of the study is to check if IUD increases HPV clearance, that is, checking if after 1 year HPV infection disappears in more patients using IUD than those not using it.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a cohort case-control prospective study, carried out in Universitary Hospital La Zarzuela in Madrid, Spain, performed between October 2015 and April 2018. No pregnant women between 25-50 years old, with HPV cervical infection were enrolled. We separated the participants into two groups: an IUD group, with women starting using IUD and non IUD group, with women using any other contraceptive method or none. HPV genotyping of cervical cytology samples were performed initially on enrolment day and one year after.

RESULTS

254 participants were enrolled at the beginning of the study, 85 in the IUD group and 169 in the control group (non IUD). 179 participants completed the study, 54 (31%) in IUD group and 120 participants in non IUD group (69%). 38 women from IUD group cleared HPV infection (69.5%) and 65 women from control group cleared it (54.2%) (p = 0.044). An association in logistic regression was observed in HPV clearance with different factors. Firstly, higher percentage of patients with IUD clear the HPV infection than those in control group significantly associated (OR = 0.698, CI 95%; 0.251-0.998, p = 0.046). Clearance was higher in patients with low-risk HPV infection comparing with high risk HPV (OR = 1.078, CI 95%; 1.126-4.6.281, p = 0.026) and in patients with only one HPV type than those with more than one (OR = 0.194, CI 95%; 0.084-0.403, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In Spanish women with HPV infection, the HPV clearance between IUD and non IUD groups show results with statistical significance, patients with IUD have higher clearance rates. There were differences also between suffering one HPV type or more than one, and having low-risk HPV or high-risk HPV infection.

Current Gaps in Ovarian Cancer Epidemiology: The Need for New Population-Based Research

With recent ovarian cancer screening studies showing no clinically significant mortality benefit, preventing this disease, identifying high-risk populations, and extending survival remain priorities. However, several challenges are impeding progress in ovarian cancer research. With most studies capturing exposure information from 10 or more years ago, evaluation of how changing patterns of exposures, such as new oral contraceptive formulations and increased intrauterine device use, might influence ovarian cancer risk and survival is difficult. Risk factors for ovarian cancer should be evaluated in the context of tumor histotypes, which have unique molecular features and cells of origin; this is a task that requires large collaborative studies to achieve meaningful sample sizes. Importantly, identification of novel modifiable risk factors, in addition to those currently known to reduce risk (eg, childbearing, tubal ligation, oral contraceptive use), is needed; this is not feasibly implemented at a population level. In this Commentary, we describe important gaps in knowledge and propose new approaches to advance epidemiologic research to improve ovarian cancer prevention and survival, including updated classification of tumors, collection of data on changing and novel exposures, longer follow-up on existing studies, evaluation of diverse populations, development of better risk prediction models, and collaborating prospectively with consortia to develop protocols for new studies that will allow seamless integration for future pooled analyses.

Telomerase activity in cervical scrapes of women with high-grade cervical disease: A nested case-control study

Epidemiological information on telomerase activity (TA) and development of cervical lesions is scarce. A nested case-control study was carried out within a cohort of Colombian women tested for Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Measurement of TA was done in cervical scrapes of 25 women who developed High Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HGSIL) during the first 6 years of follow-up and was compared with that of 104 control women who maintained normal cytology during the entire follow-up. TA was measured by a telomerase repeat amplification protocol-ELISA. TA and HPV infections were significantly more frequent in cases than in controls. Likewise, 68% of the cases were positive for both TA and HPV compared with only 7.7% of the controls (P<0.0001). Factors independently associated with increased odds of HGSIL included TA, high risk HPV (hrHPV) infections and multiple parities. When restricted to hrHPV positive women, TA was strongly associated with increased odds of HGSIL (adjusted odds ratio=37.94, 95% confidence interval, 1.64–678.1). In addition to an infection with hrHPV, TA appears to be a significant cofactor for HGSIL.

A prospective cohort study of oral contraceptive use and ovarian cancer among women in the United States born from 1947 to 1964

PURPOSE

Oral contraceptives (OCs) have been consistently associated with a reduced ovarian cancer risk; however, most previous studies included women in older birth cohorts using high-dose OC formulations. We assessed OC use, including type and dose, and ovarian cancer risk among women born between 1947 and 1964 using more recent formulations.

METHODS

We included 110,929 Nurses' Health Study II participants. Women reported duration of OC use and brands used from age 13 to baseline (1989) and every 2 years thereafter through 2009. We categorized brands by estrogen and progestin type, dose, and potency, and used Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, calendar time, reproductive factors, and body mass index, to assess associations with ovarian cancer.

RESULTS

Over 2,178,679 person-years of follow-up, we confirmed 281 cases. At baseline, 83% of participants reported ever using OCs. Compared to never use, we observed an increased risk of ovarian cancer with ≤6 months of OC use (HR 1.82; 95% CI 1.13-2.93) but a non-significant 57% (95% CI 0.18-1.03) decreased risk with ≥15 years of OC use. The increased risk among short-term users (≤1 year) was restricted to OCs containing mestranol (HR 1.83; 95% CI 1.16-2.88) and first-generation progestin (HR 1.72; 95% CI 1.11-2.65).

CONCLUSION

The associations between OCs and ovarian cancer observed for this younger birth cohort differ substantially from the results of previous cohort studies, possibly reflecting changes in OC formulations and use patterns over time, although these results could be due to chance. Additional studies should evaluate newer OC formulations and ovarian cancer risk.