Objective: To evaluate whether serum antibodies anti-E4, E7 and Ras could be used as markers for early cervical lesions associated with HPV (human papillomavirus).
Material and methods: A seroepidemiological case-control study was conducted between March 1999 and April 2000 at the dysplasia clinic of Hospital General Doctor Gea Gonzalez, in Mexico City, to evaluate the presence of antibodies anti-E4, E7, and Ras through a sandwich ELISA. Analysis was done using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.
Results: Anti-E7 antibodies were associated to women with CIN III lesions, while anti-E4 and Ras antibodies were strongly associated with CIN I-II lesions. The antibody profile of women with different cervical lesion showed that: a) the presence of antibodies against two proteins predicts the presence of CIN I-II lesions, and b) the presence of three antibodies predicts a CIN III lesion.
Conclusions: The presence of serum antibodies against E4, E7 and Ras, together with other diagnostic techniques, could be useful for the timely detection of early uterine cervical lesions associated to HPV in women at risk of developing cancer.