Monitoring of residual and recurrence of cervical cancer after radiotherapy using blood liquid biopsy.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K08106
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 52040:Radiological sciences-related
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Isohashi Fumiaki 大阪大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 准教授 (00448036)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 玉利 慶介 大阪大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 助教 (30718995) ; 小川 和彦 大阪大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 教授 (40253984)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 子宮頸癌 / 放射線治療 / HPV / リキッドバイオプシー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Because human papillomavirus (HPV) is involved in the carcinogenesis of most cervical cancers, this study was started with the aim of detecting HPV-DNA, which is incorporated into the cancer genome of cervical cancer cells, from blood cfDNA and to verify whether it could be a monitoring method for recurrence after radiation therapy for cervical cancer. Our initial assumption was that the concentration of HPV-DNA would decrease in cases in which the tumor shrank after treatment and increase in cases in which recurrence occurred immediately after treatment, but there was no clear change before and after treatment, and we were unable to establish a new monitoring method for cervical cancer recurrence by detection of HPV-DNA in blood.

Free Research Field

放射線科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

大変残念であるが、少なくとも我々の実験結果からは血中HPV-DNAの検出により子宮頸癌の放射線治療後の新しい再発のモニタリング方法を確立することができなかった。ネガティブデータではあるが、同様の研究を行う予定の研究者には参考になるデータと考えられる。ただし、頭頸部癌患者における血中HPV-DNA(HPV-16)の検出は再発のモニタリングに使えるという報告もあり、子宮頸癌と何が違うのかを明らかにすることは今後の課題である。