HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPE 16 AND 18 INFECTION ASSOCIATION WITH IL-38 GENE EXPRESSION IN IRAQI WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER

Abstract

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is implicated in the pathogenesis of several malignancies, and its possible role in breast cancer remains under investigation. This study aimed to explore the relationship between HPV infection and breast cancer and to assess its effect on the expression of interleukin-38 (IL-38). Methodology: The study population consisted of 40 patients and 39 control participants. HPV detection was performed by ELISA technique, followed by PCR for confirmation, while gene expression analysis of IL-38 was carried out in a subset of seven patients using housekeeping gene normalization. Results: ELISA results showed no positive cases among patients, whereas five control samples were positive. In contrast, PCR analysis was performed on 10 patients and 3 controls, the results showed that 8 of the patient samples were positive for both HPV types 18 and 16, while the controls had one positive for only HPV-16 and another sample was positive for both HPV-16 and -18. Gene expression analysis revealed altered expression of IL-38 among patients compared with controls, with most samples showing increased fold change. Discussion: Overall, the results are consistent with the hypothesis of possible prior exposure or latent HPV infection and suggest that treatment-related immune suppression may warrant further investigation. Dysregulation of IL-38 expression may suggest an immune response in HPV-associated breast cancer. Further investigation into a larger sample size is necessary to fully understand the molecular relationship between HPV infection, cytokine regulation and breast cancer progression.