Role of selected interleukins and hormonal biomarkers in screening for human papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer in women

Abstract

The roles of immunological and hormonal indicators in screening women with HPV infection and cervical cancer (CC) were investigated. The present study was conducted in Diyala Province during the period from January to March 2026. A total of 90 blood samples were collected from women who visited Al-Batoul Teaching Hospital and women's clinics. Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-2R, FSH, and estrogen, as well as HPV, were detected using ELISA and the Biorex technique. HPV-infected women represented 43.33% of the participants, women with HPV and CC represented 10.00%, and HPV-negative women represented 46.67%. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed among the study groups regarding marital status, number of children, chronic diseases, and smoking. The highest levels of IL-1β, IL-2R, FSH, and estrogen were observed in women with HPV and CC, followed by HPV-infected women, and then the control group.  Exploratory ROC curve analysis showed high within-sample discriminatory performance for IL-1β, IL-2R, FSH, and estrogen in differentiating HPV-infected women from controls and women with HPV-associated cervical cancer from controls. However, the cutoff values, sensitivity, and specificity estimates were derived and evaluated using the same study cohort and should therefore be considered exploratory rather than clinically validated diagnostic measures. Spearman's rank correlation analysis in HPV-infected women showed a significant negative correlation between IL-1β and estrogen (ρ = −0.430, P = 0.006), and significant positive correlations between IL-2R and estrogen (ρ = 0.386, P = 0.015) and between FSH and estrogen (ρ = 0.600, P < 0.001). No statistically significant correlations were observed among the investigated biomarkers in the HPV-associated cervical cancer subgroup. Overall, HPV positivity and HPV-associated cervical cancer were associated with higher serum levels of IL-1β, IL-2R, FSH, and estrogen in the present cohort. Further studies using larger independent cohorts are required to determine the clinical relevance of these findings.