title: Prognostic significance of serum antibodies to human papillomavirus-16 E4 and E7 peptides in cervical cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of serum antibodies to human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 peptides in patients with squamous cell cervical cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pretreatment sera from 78 patients and 198 control women were tested by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique for reactivity with HPV-16 E4 (E401p) and E7 (E701p) synthetic peptides. The presence and serum level of these antibodies were correlated with tumor stage, histologic features, and prognostic parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow-up was 65 months (range, 6-97 months). Antibodies to E401p peptide were found in 5 of the 198 (3%) control subjects, 4 of the 43 (9%) patients with low tumor stage (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] Ia, Ib, IIa), and 7 of the 35 (20%) patients with advanced tumor stage (FIGO IIb, III, IVa). Antibodies to E701p were found in 25 (13%), 11 (26%), and 11 (31%) women, respectively. The differences between patients and control subjects were significant (P < 0.002). Seropositivity against these peptides showed no correlation with tumor stage. Antibody levels to both peptides were significantly higher in patients compared with control subjects (P < 0.05). Furthermore, antibody levels to E401p were higher in patients with advanced tumor stage versus patients with low tumor stage (P = 0.0097). Such a relation was not found for anti-E701p antibodies. In the univariate analysis, a high level of anti-E701p antibodies was associated with a shorter disease free interval (P = 0.012) and poor survival (P = 0.049). However, this variable possessed no prognostic value after adjusting for FIGO stage and tumor size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors' findings indicate that the prognostic significance of serum antibodies to the HPV-16 E4 and E7 peptides used in this study of patients with cervical cancer is limited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Gaarenstroom
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Kenter
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bonfrer
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Korse
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Gallee
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Trimbos
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Helmerhorst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; C069119:oncogene protein E4, Human papillomavirus type 16; C059731:oncogene protein E7, Human papillomavirus type 16