HLA-E expression in cervical adenocarcinomas: association with improved long-term survival

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Gynecologic Oncology

Background:

• Cervical cancer, primarily squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), is globally prevalent.
• Adenocarcinoma (AC) and adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) are less common but rising subtypes.
• Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and immune system dysfunction drive cervical carcinogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate Human Leukocyte Antigen E (HLA-E) expression in cervical adenocarcinoma (AC), adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
• To determine the association between HLA-E expression and histopathological parameters in cervical cancer.
• To evaluate the correlation of HLA-E expression with patient survival outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry was used to assess HLA-E expression in 192 cervical cancer patients (79 SCC, 38 ASC, 75 AC).
• Patients had International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics stage I-II disease and underwent radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy.
• Statistical analysis compared HLA-E expression across histopathological subtypes and correlated it with clinical parameters and survival.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in age, HPV type, tumor size, and invasion were noted between subtypes.
• High HLA-E expression was observed in 56% of cervical carcinomas.
• Overexpression of HLA-E was significantly higher in cervical AC (52/75) compared to SCC (37/79) and ASC (18/38) (P = 0.010).

Conclusions:

• High HLA-E expression is prevalent in cervical cancer, particularly in AC.
• Elevated HLA-E expression in cervical AC correlates with improved disease-specific and recurrence-free survival.
• Distinguishing cervical cancer histopathological subtypes is vital for developing subtype-specific therapies.