HPV strain linked to increased mortality from cervical cancer

Findings could encourage HPV type testing and identify some patients for more aggressive therapy.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. April 23/30, 2001.

A strain of the human papilloma virus that causes 20% to 30% of all cervical cancers doubles the mortality rate when compared with cervical cancers caused by the most common version of the virus, according to a paper in the April Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The population-based study confirmed several smaller studies that found that mortality rates from cervical cancers caused by HPV-18, which is the second most common cause of the disease, could be four times as high as those caused by other HPV variants, including HPV-16. HPV-16 causes the majority of cervical cancers.

"I think this study potentially has very important clinical implications, as well as implications for basic research," said Stephen Schwartz, PhD, primary author of the study and an associate member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. "What is needed now is a trial to see if measuring the presence of HPV-18 in the tumors of cervical cancer patients makes a difference in clinical outcome in terms of ... treatment decisions."

Researchers said it was too early to change treatment protocols. Many also agree that more research is needed to develop new therapies to improve the survivability of those with cervical cancers caused by HPV-18.

"What we need to do now is figure out what we can do with this information to help women with cervical cancer live longer," said Dr. Schwartz. "Do we need to treat them differently with different drugs or different doses of radiation or do we need to follow them more often?" [...]