Abstract:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an essential but not a sufficient cervical cancer etiological factor. Cancer
promoters, such as host genetic mutations, significantly modulate therapeutic responses and susceptibility. In
cervical cancer, of interest have been viral clearing genes and HPV oncoprotein targets, for which conflicting
data have been reported among different populations. This expert analysis evaluates cervical cancer genetic
susceptibility biomarkers studied in African populations. Notably, the past decade has seen Africa as a hotbed
of biomarker and precision medicine innovations, thus potentially informing worldwide biomarker development
strategies. We conducted a critical literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Scopus da-
tabases for case–control studies reporting on cervical cancer genetic polymorphisms among Africans. We found
that seven African countries conducted cervical cancer molecular epidemiology studies in one of Casp8, p53,
CCR2, FASL, HLA, IL10, TGF-beta, and TNF-alpha genes. This analysis reveals a remarkable gap in cervical
cancer molecular epidemiology among Africans, whereas cervical cancer continues to disproportionately have
an impact on African populations. Genome-wide association, whole exome- and whole-genome sequencing studies
confirmed the contribution of candidate genes in cervical cancer. With such advances and omics technologies,
the role of genetic susceptibility biomarkers can be exploited to develop novel interventions to improve current
screening, diagnostic and prognostic methods worldwide. Exploring these genetic variations is crucial because
African populations are genetically diverse and some variants or their combined effects are yet to be discovered
and translated into tangible clinical applications. Thus, translational medicine and flourishing system sciences
in Africa warrant further emphasis in the coming decade.
