HPV Elimination: A Highway to the Elimination of HPV-Associated Cancers
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 11138
Special Issue Editor
2. Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Interests: HPV; CIN; VIN; AIN; prognosis; genotyping; p16; dual staining; HPV-vaccines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common infection that affects both women and men. Although the immune system is usually able to clear the virus, some infections persist and induce cell abnormalities that range from benign self-limited proliferations, to premalignant lesions with significant risk of progression to cancer. HPV-associated carcinogenesis is a multistep process associated with accumulation of genetic alterations in cells involving genetic instability, immune deficiency, sustaining cell proliferative signals, evading of growth suppressors, replicative immortality, resisting cell death, deregulation of cellular energetics, sustained angiogenesis, invasion & metastasis. Indeed, persistent HPV infection is a known causal agent of cancers of different anatomical sites that include uterine cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus, and head and neck.
Never in history has a cancer been eliminated, understanding elimination as a reduction to near zero in a defined geographic area. However, it has been recently claimed that HPV infection and related cancers elimination is a real possibility. Research is showing that the elimination of certain HPV types and the diseases they cause is feasible. Reaching this dream implies a close collaboration between the scientific and health communities with local governments and funding agencies, accelerating progress towards this objective. Forging this path requires sustained action by organizations and individuals in cancer control, immunization, and public health communities worldwide.
The HPV vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection, and provides long-lasting protection. HPV vaccination can prevent infection with high-risk HPV types, which cause about 90% of HPV cancers, and has led to substantial population-wide decreases in cervical cancer and precancer rates. Moreover, HPV vaccination has also shown substantial benefit in preventing anal lesions and oropharyngeal HPV infection. Modeling shows that if 90% HPV vaccination coverage for pre-teen boys and girls as well as high-coverage screening and treatment for cervical pre-cancers are met for an uninterrupted period, elimination of HPV infections and HPV-associated cancers would be achievable within the next 20 years, and, in settings where routine screening is also practiced, the elimination of cervical cancer in this period of time.
The search for new proposals for this disease control and prevention has brought new findings and approaches in the context of molecular biology indicating innovations and perspectives in the early detection and prevention of the disease. In this Special Issue, we look forward promoting and recognizing molecular signaling pathways activated by HPV and potential targets or biomarkers for early detection or prevention and the treatment of HPV-associated cancers.
Dr. Marta del Pino
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- HPV vaccines
- screening
- triage
- biomarkers (DNA, mRNA, E6, E7, E4, p16, Ki67, miRNA, methylation, genotyping, etc.)
- HPV infection
- HPV-related cancer (cervical cancer, anal cancer, penile cancer, vulva, cancer, vagina cancer, oropharyngeal cancer)
