January 5, 2001

A study by researchers at the University of Helsinki, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), asserts that Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the most common sexually transmitted disease in women, substantially heightens a woman's risk of developing cancer of the cervix.

While the linkage had been noted before, the new research pinpointed the specific serotypes of Chlamydia that are more likely than others to increase the cervical cancer risk. The investigators looked for evidence of infection by specific Chlamydia serotypes in 181 women with invasive cancer of the cervix.

Women with cervical cancer were twice as likely to show evidence of a prior Chlamydia infection than were women without cancer, according to lead investigator Dr. Tarja Anttila. These women were also twice as likely to have been infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), a known cause of cervical cancer.

Chlamydia serotype G increased the risk of cervical cancer 6.6 times, more than any of the other serotypes, the authors reported. Serotype I increased the risk 3.8 times, and Serotype D increased the cervical cancer risk 2.7 times.

In an interpretive editorial in JAMA, Dr. Jonathan Zenilman of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said the study's results "suggest that cervical malignancy should be added to the complications and costs associated with genital chlamydial infections . . . . These data provide additional justification for expanding chlamydial infection screening, not only to protect against pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, but potentially to prevent cervical cancer."

For more information on gynecological cancer:
http://www.sharp.com/HealthInformation/gyneonc/index.htm

and on Sharp's cancer services:
http://www.sharp.com/clinical/cancer

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