Associations among HPV persistence, the vaginal microbiome, and cervical cancer recurrence.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the US, up to 60% of cervical cancer (CxCa) survivors will have persistent HPV infection, the causative agent of CxCa, and up to 35% will develop recurrent local CxCa within 4 years after chemo-radiation therapy. Preliminary studies suggest healthy vaginal microbiome (VM) could affect the acquisition, persistence, and clearance of HPV. Through longitudinal studies, we investigate associations between the dynamics of VM, HPV persistence, cancer recurrence (CR), and outcomes in gynecologic cancer survivors who completed cancer treatments.

Methods

We enrolled 49 patients with Stage IB-IIIC CxCa who completed radiation therapy (RT) alone or concurrent chemoradiation (chemoRT). VM sequencing and HPV typing were performed on samples obtained at baseline (T0, pre-trea

SUBMITTER: Tsementzi D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12317609 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature