# Epigenetic Biomarkers of HIV-Associated Cervical Cancer in Nigeria

> **NIH NIH U54** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $154,409

## Abstract

Abstract
 Nigerian women face one of the worst prognosis in the world when diagnosed with cervical cancer, and
this prognosis worsens with HIV infection. In addition to poor screening and follow-up, one major reason for the
high prevalence and incidence of cervical cancer is due to the large number of HIV-infected individuals with
Nigeria ranking second in the world in HIV burden, behind South Africa.3,4
 Our long-term goal is to understand the role of epigenetic biomarkers in HIV-associated cervical cancer
and to develop potential targeted interventions to improve prevention, early detection of invasive cervical cancer
in Nigeria and similar settings in Africa. Identification of epigenetic markers predictive of progression to invasion
will also provide opportunities for developing future therapeutic targets for the management of women with
cervical dysplasia and cancer. The molecular mechanisms by which long-term HIV infection may promote
cervical carcinogenesis remains largely unknown. Epigenetic alterations, a hallmark of cancer, have been
studied for their mechanistic role and early detection and prognostic biomarkers of cervical cancer with some
promising findings. However, little has been done in HIV-associated cervical cancer patients, in particular, in
LIMCs, such as Nigeria where HIV infection is highly prevalent. We hypothesize that HIV infected women with
cervical cancer will have different epigenetic biomarkers compared to the non-HIV infected women or cancer-
free HIV-positive women, and such biomarkers will play important role in cancer progression, leading to different
histopathologic grading and other prognostic features. Such biomarkers in precancerous cervical lesions may
also predict risk of progression to invasive cervical cancer.
 In Nigeria’s Lagos and Jos medical centers, over 5 years, we aim to: (1) Identify epigenetic biomarkers
in 100 HIV infected women who have invasive cervical cancer as compared to 100 HIV negative women with
invasive cervical cancer and also to 100 HIV-positive cancer-free women. (2) Investigate the association of HIV-
positive cervical cancer epigenetic biomarkers with prognostic factors in the Aim 1 cohort. (3) Examine the
epigenetic biomarkers identified in Aim 1 along the cervical dysplasia continuum in 300 HIV-positive women to
explore what proportion of women with such biomarkers will progress to higher grades of dysplasia or invasive
cervical cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242893
- **Project number:** 5U54CA221205-05
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MELISSA A. SIMON
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $154,409
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242893

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242893, Epigenetic Biomarkers of HIV-Associated Cervical Cancer in Nigeria (5U54CA221205-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242893. Licensed CC0.

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