HPV, epigenetics and cancer

In many regions of the world, HPV and its association with cervical cancer is a well-known but rarely considered issue, especially after the rollout of the HPV vaccine in the late 2000s, which has reportedly reduced the risk of cervical cancer by up to 97% in vaccinated populations. While this rollout significantly impacted cervical cancer rates where it was implemented, it was not universal and in many areas of the world HPV induced cervical cancer remains a critical issue. Cervical cancer is the leading cause of death for people with a cervix living in low-resource regions and on the continent of Africa, it is estimated that in 2020 as many people with a cervix died of cervical cancer as COVID-19.

Through the use of cutting-edge sequencing techniques to investigate the complex relationship between HPV, epigenetics and cancer, new insights can be gained into this disease of the genome. Furthermore, novel targets for potential immunotherapies and therapeutics are being identified using these methods.

In this In Focus, we explore the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer, the techniques that can be used to examine them and the critical importance of this field of research.