HPV58 E7 Protein Expression Profile in Cervical Cancer and CIN with Immunohistochemistry

Qiaoli Zheng; Xianzhen Chen; Rui Han; Jiang Zhu; Hui Wang; Lingjing Chen; Yinjing Song; Luxia Chen; Hao Cheng; Na Jin

doi:10.7150/jca.50816

HPV58 E7 Protein Expression Profile in Cervical Cancer and CIN with Immunohistochemistry

J Cancer. 2021 Jan 18;12(6):1722-1728. doi: 10.7150/jca.50816. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Qiaoli Zheng¹, Xianzhen Chen¹, Rui Han¹, Jiang Zhu¹, Hui Wang², Lingjing Chen³, Yinjing Song¹, Luxia Chen¹, Hao Cheng¹, Na Jin¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
² Department of Pathology, The First People's Hospital of Fuyang, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
³ Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Children's Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Abstract

Background: The persistent infection of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is one of the most common causes of cervical cancer worldwide, and HPV type 58 (HPV58) is the third most common HPV type in eastern Asia. The E7 oncoprotein is constitutively expressed in HPV58-associated cervical cancer cells and plays a key role during tumorigenesis. This study aimed to assess the HPV58 E7 protein expression in the tissues of cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Methods: A total of 67 HPV58-positive cervical samples were collected, including 25 cervical cancer samples and 42 CIN samples. All the tissues were examined by HPV58 E7, p16^INK4a and Ki67 immunohistochemistry (IHC). At last, we analyzed their association with clinical and pathological variables. Results: HPV58 E7 expression was detected in 96% of the HPV58 DNA-positive cervical cancer tissues and 85.7% of HPV58-positive CIN tissues. 65 samples of cervical cancer and CIN tissues had p16-positive staining, while 59 samples were Ki-67 positive. Conclusions: HPV58 E7 protein is highly expressed in both cervical cancer and CIN tissues. HPV58 E7 IHC could be sensitive and specific for evaluating HPV-driven cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions, in combination with p16 and Ki-67 IHC.

Keywords: CIN; E7; HR-HPV; cervical cancer; immunohistochemistry.