Host-virus interaction in development of cervical cancer
- Reference number
- SB12-0086
- Start and end dates
- 130801-170731
- Amount granted
- 7 800 000 SEK
- Administrative organization
- Uppsala University
- Research area
- Life Sciences
Summary
Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women worldwide and is caused by infection by oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Only some of the infections lead to cancer, indicating that viral and host factors interact in determining the outcome of an infection. We have formed a translational research group including preclinical and clinical scientists that are working together to: a) develop a new diagnostic tool for predicting the malignant potential of a HPV infection, using the sequence profile of the infecting HPV type and the genetic profile of host genes, and b) determine the ability of this diagnostic tool to identify women with prestages of cervical cancer by performing a randomised study using self-sampling at home for collection of samples. The present screening system for cervical cancer in Sweden costs over 400 MSEK and has reduced the cancer burden by 50%, but further reduction is not possible without a different strategy and diagnostic test. Vaccination has been introduced in young girls but is only efficient in those previously not exposed to HPV. It is necessary to develop a new diagnostic test and increase the coverage of the screening to achieve a further reduction of the cervical cancer incidence. Modelling of the health-economic benefits of self-sampling and a new diagnostic test for malignant potential, shows that this will result in savings in the order of 200 MSEK per year, excluding a better quality of life for individual women.
Popular science description
Se den svenska sammanfattningen