AI Summary
The article discusses the potential role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the fallopian tube as a risk factor for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The study analyzed DNA samples from EOC patients and found that HPV16 DNA was detected in one-third of the fallopian tube and tumor samples from EOCs, with a higher prevalence in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma cases. This suggests that HPV16 may be a potential risk factor for EOC development.
Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and herpesviruses are detected in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We sought to analyze the prevalence of HPV’s 16 and 18, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in peripheral blood, ovarian, and fallopian tube (FT) tissue samples collected from 97 EOC patients, including 71 cases of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), and from 60 women with other tumors or non-neoplastic gynecological diseases. DNA isolates were analyzed by PCR methods, including droplet digital PCR. The results demonstrate that (1) HPV16 DNA has been detected in one-third of the FT and tumor samples from EOCs; (2) the prevalence and quantity of HPV16 DNA were significantly higher in FT samples from HGSOCs, non-HGSOCs, and ovarian metastases than in those from non-neoplastic diseases; (3) CMV and EBV have been detected in approximately one-seventh of EOC samples. The results suggest that HPV16 might be a potential risk factor for EOC development.
Ovarian cancer (OC) affected almost 314 thousand women and was a reason for at least 207 thousand deaths in 2020 worldwide1. In 2023, approximately 19.7 thousand new cases of OC and 13.2 thousand