Koeneman M, Kruitwagen R, Kruse AJ. Clinical applicability of immunotherapy of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. World J Obstet Gynecol 2016; 5(1): 1-4 [DOI: 10.5317/wjog.v5.i1.1]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Arnold-Jan Kruse, MD, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Postbus 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands. arnoldjankruse@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Obstet Gynecol. Feb 10, 2016; 5(1): 1-4 Published online Feb 10, 2016. doi: 10.5317/wjog.v5.i1.1
Clinical applicability of immunotherapy of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
Margot Koeneman, Roy Kruitwagen, Arnold-Jan Kruse
Margot Koeneman, Roy Kruitwagen, Arnold-Jan Kruse, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maastricht University Medical Center, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
Margot Koeneman, Roy Kruitwagen, Arnold-Jan Kruse, GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
Author contributions: Koeneman M, Kruitwagen R and Kruse AJ conceived the issues which formed the content of the manuscript and wrote the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Arnold-Jan Kruse, MD, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Postbus 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands. arnoldjankruse@hotmail.com
Telephone: +31-43-3874242
Received: June 29, 2015 Peer-review started: July 1, 2015 First decision: September 30, 2015 Revised: October 10, 2015 Accepted: November 10, 2015 Article in press: November 11, 2015 Published online: February 10, 2016 Processing time: 216 Days and 16.2 Hours
Abstract
Immunotherapy for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) has not yet reached clinical applicability, but seems sensible and shows promising preliminary results. One of the most promising forms of immunotherapy for CIN may currently be imiquimod, because of its established role in other human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced genital conditions, its promising treatment efficacy in high-grade CIN, and its off-label availability. Although imiquimod cannot yet replace the current gold standard treatment for CIN [i.e., large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ)] in all patients, it may be considered in subgroups of patients; for example, young women who may wish to become pregnant in the future, or patients with recurrent CIN lesions in whom a second LLETZ is to be avoided. Immunotherapy of CIN could be extended to post-treatment vaccination, in order to prevent new HPV infections and disease recurrence.
Core tip: Immunotherapy for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is discussed in light of the natural history of CIN. The pros and cons of the current standard therapy (large loop excision of the transformation zone) and immunotherapy, potential side effects, and available evidence supporting the use of immunotherapy in CIN are addressed.
