Risk of cervical pre-cancer and cancer in women with multiple sclerosis exposed to high efficacy disease modifying therapies

Francesca Bridge, Julia M.L. Brotherton, Yi Foong, Helmut Butzkueven, Vilija G. Jokubaitis, Anneke Van der Walt

Research output: Contribution to journalReview ArticleResearchpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

There is a growing need to better understand the risk of malignancy in the multiple sclerosis (MS) population, particularly given the relatively recent and widespread introduction of immunomodulating disease modifying therapies (DMTs). Multiple sclerosis disproportionately affects women, and the risk of gynecological malignancies, specifically cervical pre-cancer and cancer, are of particular concern. The causal relationship between persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer has been definitively established. To date, there is limited data on the effect of MS DMTs on the risk of persistent HPV infection and subsequent progression to cervical pre-cancer and cancer. This review evaluates the risk of cervical pre-cancer and cancer in women with MS, including the risk conferred by DMTs. We examine additional factors, specific to the MS population, that alter the risk of developing cervical cancer including participation in HPV vaccination and cervical screening programs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1119660
Number of pages13
JournalFrontiers in Neurology
Volume14
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Feb 2023

Keywords

  • autoimmune disease (AID)
  • cervical cancer
  • disease modifying therapy (DMT)
  • human papilloma virus (HPV)
  • multiple sclerosis (MS)

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