Diagnostic phase antibody response to the human papillomavirus type 16 E2 protein is associated with succesful treatment of genital HPV lesions with systemic interferon α-2b

Background and objective: Systemic interferon α-2b treatment reduces relapses of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions in some but not all females. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible predictive pretreatment factors for the outcome of therapy.

Material and methods: HPV DNA status and HPV antibody response were evaluated in 100 randomized patients treated with laser ablation and systemic interferon α-2b or placebo, and followed up to 6 months.

Results: Overall, adjuvant therapy with systemic interferon-α did not differ from placebo. However, detectable diagnostic phase levels of serum antibodies to e.g. HPV16 open reading frame (ORF) E2 derived peptide ¹⁴¹EEASVTVVEGQVDYY¹⁵⁵ predicted 10-fold difference in the risk of recurrence of HPV infection following adjuvant interferon α-2b therapy as compared with placebo (odds ratio, OR, 0.5, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.1–2.3; OR, 4.6, 95% CI 0.5–41, respectively). This trend was statistically significant in the whole study population (2P < 0.05), and in patients with high viral load (2P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Evaluation of the E2 antibody responses may help to identify women with genital HPV lesions who respond to systemic interferon α-2b treatment.