Role of Human Papillomavirus Vaccines in Cervical and Vulvo-Vaginal Diseases

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Papillomavirus Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 492

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Gynecologic Oncology Unit, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, Spain
Interests: Surgical oncology; fertility preservation treatments; rare cancers; uterine sarcoma; vulvar cancer
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The HPV vaccine has been established as the best option among prevention strategies to avoid the development of cervical cancer and other vulvar and vaginal diseases in women worldwide. During the last decade, we have observed a great evolution in HPV vaccines, such as the increase in HPV serotype coverage, a strategic implementation expanding to more age ranges, the inclusion of more targeted proteins, and other advances. Investigating the role of HPV vaccines may open a new horizon in the fight against cervical cancer, vulvar and vaginal cancer, and against preinvasive lesions. In addition, the current status of HPV vaccines, and the real coverage rates among different European countries, may give us an idea of the problem and a starting point from which we may get ahead.

All these topics make this Special Issue an opportunity to communicate promising research lines, new concepts, and results of immunization on different populations. We hope all authors and researchers consider this opportunity to publish their work in this Vaccines Special Issue.

Dr. Ignacio Zapardiel
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • human papillomavirus
  • preinvasive lesions
  • vulvar disease
  • cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
  • vaginal neoplasia

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 184 KiB  
Article
HPV E6/E7 mRNA Testing in the Follow-Up of HPV-Vaccinated Patients After Treatment for High-Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
by Adolfo Loayza, Alicia Hernandez, Ana M. Rodriguez, Belen Lopez, Cristina Gonzalez, David Hardisson, Itziar de la Pena, Maria Serrano, Rocio Arnedo and Ignacio Zapardiel
Vaccines 2025, 13(8), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13080823 - 31 Jul 2025
Viewed by 361
Abstract
Introduction: Following up on treated high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL/CIN) lesions poses a challenge. Cervical cytology often has a high false-negative rate, while high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA testing, though sensitive, lacks specificity. The detection of messenger RNA of the HR-HPV E6 and [...] Read more.
Introduction: Following up on treated high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL/CIN) lesions poses a challenge. Cervical cytology often has a high false-negative rate, while high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA testing, though sensitive, lacks specificity. The detection of messenger RNA of the HR-HPV E6 and E7 oncoproteins (E6/E7 mRNA) is proposed as an indicator of viral integration, which is crucial for identifying severe lesions. Additionally, HPV vaccination could reduce recurrence rates in patients treated for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Objective: Our study aimed to assess the clinical utility of E6/E7 mRNA determination in the follow-up of HPV-immunized patients who were treated for HSIL/CIN. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study including 407 patients treated for HSIL/CIN. The recurrence rate and the validity parameters of E6/E7 mRNA testing were analyzed. Results: The recurrence rate for high-grade lesions was 1.7%. This low percentage might be related to the vaccination of patients who were not immunized before treatment. The sensitivity of the E6/E7 mRNA test was 88% at the first clinical visit, reaching 100% in the second and third reviews. Specificity was 91% at the first visit, 92% at the second, and 85% at the third. Regarding predictive values, the positive predictive value was 18% at the first visit, 10% at the second, and 14% at the third, while the negative predictive value was 100% across all follow-up visits. Conclusions: The E6/E7 mRNA test appears to be an effective tool for ruling out recurrence after treatment for HSIL/CIN lesions in HPV-immunized patients. Full article
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