Gaarenstroom K N, Kenter G G, Bonfrer J M, Korse C M, Gallee M P, Hart A A, Müller M, Trimbos J B, Helmerhorst T J
Department of Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
Cancer. 1994 Oct 15;74(8):2307-13. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19941015)74:8<2307::aid-cncr2820740815>3.0.co;2-x.
The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of serum antibodies to human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 peptides in patients with squamous cell cervical cancer.
Pretreatment sera from 78 patients and 198 control women were tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique for reactivity with HPV-16 E4 (E401p) and E7 (E701p) synthetic peptides. The presence and serum level of these antibodies were correlated with tumor stage, histologic features, and prognostic parameters.
The median follow-up was 65 months (range, 6-97 months). Antibodies to E401p peptide were found in 5 of the 198 (3%) control subjects, 4 of the 43 (9%) patients with low tumor stage (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] Ia, Ib, IIa), and 7 of the 35 (20%) patients with advanced tumor stage (FIGO IIb, III, IVa). Antibodies to E701p were found in 25 (13%), 11 (26%), and 11 (31%) women, respectively. The differences between patients and control subjects were significant (P < 0.002). Seropositivity against these peptides showed no correlation with tumor stage. Antibody levels to both peptides were significantly higher in patients compared with control subjects (P < 0.05). Furthermore, antibody levels to E401p were higher in patients with advanced tumor stage versus patients with low tumor stage (P = 0.0097). Such a relation was not found for anti-E701p antibodies. In the univariate analysis, a high level of anti-E701p antibodies was associated with a shorter disease free interval (P = 0.012) and poor survival (P = 0.049). However, this variable possessed no prognostic value after adjusting for FIGO stage and tumor size.
The authors' findings indicate that the prognostic significance of serum antibodies to the HPV-16 E4 and E7 peptides used in this study of patients with cervical cancer is limited.
