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The Role of cf-HPV DNA as an Innovative Biomarker for Predicting the Recurrence or Persistence of Cervical Cancer
Márcia Poinho1, Laura L M S Dias2, Layane S Pinheiro2
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Imunologia Básica e Aplicada-PPGIBA, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus 69080-900, AM, Brazil.
Background:
Cervical cancer is highly prevalent among women in Amazonas, Brazil, mainly due to low screening coverage, and is diagnosed at a late stage, which compromises the treatment efficacy and survival rates. After treatment, recurrence is frequent, and there are few follow-up options to detect it. This highlights the urgent need for less-invasive biomarkers to monitor affected patients.
Methods:
This study employed real-time PCR, targeting the E7 gene of HPV types 16 and 18 to analyze cell-free DNA from plasma samples from 39 cervical cancer patients treated at the Oncology Control Center Foundation in Amazonas, Brazil.
Results:
cf-HPV 16 DNA was detected in 54% of the samples before treatment. The socioeconomic and behavioral data showed that 46.2% of the patients had low educational levels, 77% reported having a low income, 79.5% experienced an early sexual activity onset, and 15.4% had never undergone cytological screening. Persistence or recurrence occurred in 30.8% of cases over 4-33 months of follow-up, with cf-HPV DNA detectable in 75% of these cases.
Conclusions:
cf-HPV DNA in plasma is a promising biomarker for post-treatment surveillance, facilitating the earlier detection of persistence/recurrence. Incorporating this biomarker into clinical protocols could enhance outcomes and survival, particularly in underserved regions like the Amazon, where the access to healthcare is limited.
