Unveiling novel features of HPV-related cancers through in silico and in vitro approaches

Abstract

High-risk HPV has the potential to induce carcinogenesis in epithelial cells through diverse pathways. Although primary and secondary prevention has been promoted by the WHO over the past two decades, HPV-related cancers still demonstrate considerable global incidence rates and economic impacts and treatment options for patients with advanced HPV-related cancers still remain limited. To develop novel therapeutic drugs and more effectively address the challenges posed by HPV-related cancers, it is essential to explore these cancers from new perspectives. The advancements in bioinformatics technology provide a possibility for this, and with validations through in vitro experiments, its reliability limitations could be com-pensated. In our studies, we utilized both bioinformatic analysis and in vitro experiments to investigate HPV-related cancers. Main findings in these studies involves the establishment of gene risk models for survival and relapse in patients with HPV-related cancers, the identification of the pivotal role played by CDC42 in cancer progression, and the screening of afatinib as a poten-tial therapeutic drug, which unveiled novel features of these cancers and laid the foundation for the development of novel targeted therapy in the future