Association of HPV35 with cervical carcinogenesis among women of African ancestry: evidence of viral-host interaction with implications for disease intervention

New research by scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions, published today in the International Journal of Cancer, examines the association between infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) type 35 and the development of invasive cervical cancers around the world.

The researchers observed an increased etiological importance of HPV35, particularly the A2 sublineage of HPV35, among women of African ancestry in a large international epidemiological and viral genetic study, bolstered by genetic evidence for host–viral genotype–genotype interactions in Africa. In studies from the USA, African American women were found to have more than double the prevalence of HPV35 infection and more than triple the prevalence of HPV35-associated precancers, compared with women of other races and ethnicities. In addition, the A2 sublineage of HPV35 was found to be more prevalent in invasive cervical cancers in Africa compared with other world regions.

This study supports a strong link between HPV35 sublineages and cervical carcinogenesis in women of African ancestry. The addition of HPV35 to future generations of HPV vaccines might result in meaningfully broader protection for women of African ancestry.

Pinheiro M, Gage JC, Clifford GM, Demarco M, Cheung LC, Chen Z, et al.
Association of HPV35 with cervical carcinogenesis among women of African ancestry: evidence of viral-host interaction with implications for disease intervention
Int J Cancer, Published online 4 May 2020;
https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.33033

Read the article