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Review
. 2022 Nov 30;23(23):15022.
doi: 10.3390/ijms232315022.

HPV-Negative Adenocarcinomas of the Uterine Cervix: From Molecular Characterization to Clinical Implications

Luca Giannella  1 , Jacopo Di Giuseppe  1 , Giovanni Delli Carpini  1 , Camilla Grelloni  1 , Mariasole Fichera  1 , Gianmarco Sartini  1 , Serena Caimmi  1 , Leonardo Natalini  1 , Andrea Ciavattini  1
Affiliations
Review

HPV-Negative Adenocarcinomas of the Uterine Cervix: From Molecular Characterization to Clinical Implications

Luca Giannella et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. It is the leading cause of female deaths in developing countries. Most of these cervical neoplasms are represented by squamous lesions. Cervical adenocarcinoma causes about a quarter of cervical cancers. In contrast to squamous lesions, cervical glandular disease is HPV-negative in about 15-20% of cases. HPV-negative cervical adenocarcinomas typically present in advanced stages at clinical evaluation, resulting in a poorer prognosis. The overall and disease-free survival of glandular lesions is lower than that of squamous lesions. Treatment options require definitive treatments, as fertility-sparing is not recommended. Moreover, the impact of HPV vaccination and primary HPV screening is likely to affect these lesions less; hence, the interest in this challenging topic for clinical practice. An updated review focusing on clinical and molecular characterization, prognostic factors, and therapeutic options may be helpful for properly managing such cervical lesions.

Keywords: HPV; HPV-negative; adenocarcinoma; cervix; gene mutations; molecular basis; therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main gene mutations in different HPV-negative cervical adenocarcinomas.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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