Modulation of Human Papillomavirus Type 16 mRNA in Cervical Invasive Carcinoma Patients by Interferon-α Therapy

Mechanisms by which interferon produces papilloma regression remain largely unknown. We analyzed biopsies from three cervical invasive carcinoma patients treated with interferon-α (IFN-α) administered both topically and i.m. for 15 days. All specimens contained human papillomavirus (HPV-16) DNA as determined by polymerase chain reaction using specific HPV-16 E7 primers. Interestingly, in two patients, HPV-16 mRNA expression was reduced (44% and 67%, respectively) after IFN treatment. Upregulation of 2-5 A synthetase and PKR mRNA levels were indicative of the IFN effect. A larger study should be initiated to see whether IFN-α modulates the HPV-16 mRNA levels in tumor biopsies from cervical carcinoma patients.