DNA methylation in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer
Anisimova M.A., Shcherbakova L.N., Panina O.B.
The primary cause of cervical cancer development is an infection resulting from the persistent presence of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV). Choosing the optimal strategy for risk stratification among HPV-positive women can help identify subgroups with a higher probability of disease progression. One of the key areas of research into carcinogenesis mechanisms involves studying epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation.
The review presents the current data on DNA methylation of high-risk HPV and host cell DNA in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. The paper focuses on the most studied epigenetic markers, including CADM1, MAL, PAX1, FAM19A4, as well as new genes such as ZNF582, SOX1, and EPB41L3. The review shows their role in the progression of precancerous lesions, their sensitivity and specificity in comparison with conventional screening methods. Particular attention is paid to the potential of integrating epigenetic markers into screening programs, including the practices in the Russian Federation.
Conclusion: DNA methylation is considered to be a promising approach to the early detection of severe CIN and breast cancer that requires further validation. The currently available DNA methylation markers, particularly their combined panels, still need to be optimized by increasing the specificity of sorting but without reducing their high sensitivity. This process requires identification of both individual markers and methylation panels.
Authors’ contributions: Anisimova M.A. – collection and analysis of literary data, writing the text; Shcherbakova L.N., Panina O.B. – developing the concept and design of the study, editing the text.
Conflicts of interest: Authors declare lack of the possible conflicts of interests.
Funding: The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University «Development and testing of diagnostic and treatment methods in gynecology», Reg. No. 123032800016-2 inv. № 2025.0708.011.
For citation: Anisimova M.A., Shcherbakova L.N., Panina O.B.
DNA methylation in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2025; (7): 161-166 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2025.111
Keywords
human papillomavirus
DNA methylation
cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
cervical cancer
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Received 28.04.2025
Accepted 10.06.2025
About the Authors
Maria A. Anisimova, PhD student at the Faculty of Medicine, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119192, Russia, Moscow, Lomonosovsky Ave., 27 -1,+7(495)932-88-14, manecha35@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6081-5597
Liya N. Shcherbakova, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Lomonosov Moscow State University,
119192, Russia, Moscow, Lomonosovsky Ave., 27 1, +7(495)932-88-14, liya.fbm@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2681-4777
Olga B. Panina, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Lomonosov Moscow State University,
119192, Russia, Moscow, Lomonosovsky Ave., 27 1, +7(495)932-88-14, olgapanina@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1397-6208
Corresponding author: Maria A. Anisimova, manecha35@mail.ru
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