Cervical cancer, the second most common cancer occurring in women worldwide, is the result of infection by sexually transmitted, high risk strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV)[1]. The persistence of infection and subsequent integration of HPV into the human genome results in a number of molecular and cellular changes, which override normal growth control leading to sustained cell cycle progression and subsequent transformation to cervical cancer. Continued discovery of the molecular mechanisms engaged in malignant transformation of the cervical mucosa has lead to the emergence of several candidate cervical cancer biomarkers that could be used to identify HPV-positive patients at the greatest risk for developing cervical cancer and could one day provide the opportunity to identify those patients who are most likely to benefit from therapeutic intervention.
We present a description and quantitative means for detection and prognostic risk assessment of cervical disease, CIN II or above using multiplexed proprietary biomarkers. Histological and immunological evidence and modeling for several protein markers against disease and normal patent samples is discussed and proposed as a basis for a multiplex quantitative laboratory system and eventual point-of-care (POC) approach to extend cervical screening to underdeveloped regions.
Multiplexing of protein-based biomarkers for cervical disease can improve sensitivity and specificity of cervical screening, providing opportunities for identifying patients at high risk, while expanding the reach of cervical care to areas of greatest need.
J.M.M. Walboomers, M. V. Jacobs, M.M. Manos, F.X. Bosch, J.A. Kummer, K. V. Shah, P.J.F. Snijders, J. Peto, C.J.L.M. Meijer, N. Munoz, Human papillomavirus is a necessary cause of invasive cervical cancer worldwide, J. Pathol. 189 (1999) 12–19.