Multi-site HPV Screening by High-throughput Sequencing in Patients With Chronic HPV-HR Infection Followed by Gynecology

Overview

The main risk of developing cervical cancer is the persistence of an High risk human papillomavirus (HPV-HR) infection, the mechanisms of which are still not understood. These chronically infected patients could develop multi-site lesions. The main objective is to assess the feasibility of setting up a personalized screening in patients at high risk of cervical cancer (chronically infected with HPV), by evaluating documenting the acceptability of these patients to be sampled from the ENT sphere and anal spheres for HPV analysis with next-generation sequencing.

Screening for cervical cancer (CCU) is based on a well-codified, organized national screening program. However, unlike breast cancer or colorectal cancer, there is no personalized screening for patients said identified to be at higher risk of developing UCC. In addition, other cancers linked to HPV (papillomavirus), oropharynx and anal, were excluded from this screening, including for high-risk patients. However, in France, HPV-related cancers in the majority of cases concern the cervix (44%), but the anal (24%) and oropharynx (22%) locations can no longer be neglected. An increase of more than 200% in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer was reported in the United States between 1988 and 2004. There appears to be a significant association between certain some sexual habits and the risk of multi-site HPV (+) carcinoma. However, several studies suggested that multi-site transmission could involve simple self-inoculation. Therefore, the investigators are interested in a population particularly at risk of developing these viro-induced cancers: patients chronically infected with HPV who will also be those likely to develop multi-site lesions. It is established that high risk HPV are more widely involved in CCU, however, the causes of the persistence of these HPV have not been clearly identified. It therefore seems essential to continue screening for CCU in chronically infected patients, taking into account the multiple possible locations. The characterization of HPV viruses in terms of types, subtypes and co-infections is one of the key elements, determining the risk of persistence and the risk of cancer. Also, the implementation of a multi-site screening associated with a genotyping by high throughput or new generation sequencing (NGS) would make it possible to understand the part of HPV in the persistence of the infection and to detect the development of lesions at other anatomical sites.