Human Papilloma Virus May Be Linked to Survival of Cervical Cancer Patients
Presence of the human papilloma virus (HPV) in patients with advanced state cervical cancer may help determine the efficacy of radiation therapy in curing the cancer, according to a new study presented November 5, 2001, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Infection with HPV, a prevalent sexually transmitted virus that can cause genital warts, has been linked with the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Since radiation therapy is typically the first line of treatment for advanced cervical cancer, this study was performed to investigate whether HPV status is a prognostic parameter for clinical outcome and predictive for radiation response.
In the study, paraffin embedded biopsies of 40 women with locally advanced but not disseminated cervical cancer were treated with curative radiation therapy. Of the 40 patients, 28 of the women were HPV positive. The study found that HPV-positive women had slightly higher rates of overall survival. In addition, HPV-positive women were significantly more likely to have their cancer go into remission than HPV-negative women (67 percent versus 33 percent).
"This study reveals HPV as an independent prognostic parameter for clinical outcome and as a predictive factor for radiation response. It confirms our data found in head and neck cancer concerning the prognostic role of HPV. In regard to the small number of patients participating in the study, these results are still preliminary," said Katja Lindel, M.D., a member of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University Berne Hospital in Berne, Switzerland, and the lead author of the study.
If you would like a copy of the abstract titled "Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Status in Advanced Cervical Cancer: Predictive and Prognostic Significance for Curative Radiation Therapy" or to speak to the lead author of the study, Katja Lindel, M.D., please call Katherine Egan Bennett at the ASTRO Press Room at the Moscone Convention Center at (415) 978-3717 or e-mail her at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can call Lesley Nevers at ASTRO's headquarters at (703) 227-0141 or e-mail her at [email protected] for more information.
ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 6,700 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the society's goals are to advance the scientific base of radiation therapy and to extend the benefits of radiation therapy to those with cancer and other diseases.
###
RSS