FINLAND: Chlamydia Linked to Cervical Cancer Risk

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

FINLAND: Chlamydia Linked to Cervical Cancer Risk

Reuters Health (12.18.03) - Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Megan Rauscher

New research suggests that women with persistent chlamydial infection are at increased risk for developing cervical cancer. The latest findings, along with other emerging evidence, indicate that "cervical cancer should be listed as one of the potential long-term [consequences] of genital chlamydia infection," according to lead investigator Dr. Jorma Paavonen from the University of Helsinki- Finland.

Paavonen and co-authors studied 178 women with invasive cervical cancer, matching each one to three cancer-free controls. The researchers measured antibodies to a component of the chlamydia organism in blood samples from both groups and studied the earliest blood samples before the onset of cancer for the cervical cancer group. The presence of antibodies to chlamydia increased the odds of cervical cancer, according to the report, "Serum Antibody Response to the Heat Shock Protein 60 of Chlamydia trachomatis in Women with Developing Cervical Cancer" published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2003;189(5):1287-1292).

Although chlamydia likely does not directly trigger cervical cancer - it is most often caused by infection with one or more high- risk strains of human papillomavirus - evidence suggests chlamydia is an important co-factor.

"Chlamydia trachomatis is an immunomodulator, which causes chronic inflammation and may alter the host immune response, and ultimately inhibit spontaneous clearance of HPV," Paavonen said.

The study findings "further emphasize the importance of sexual health education in primary prevention, and chlamydia screening programs in the secondary prevention of chlamydial infections," Paavonen added, "particularly since the vast majority of genital chlamydial infections are asymptomatic."
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