Integrating microbiome insights into cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is largely preventable, yet it continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in regions with limited access to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening. Persistent infection with high-risk HPV genotypes, especially HPV-16 and HPV-18, represents the primary initiating event in cervical carcinogenesis. However, viral infection alone does not fully explain why only a subset of infected individuals develop high-grade lesions or invasive disease. Recent longitudinal and mechanistic studies indicate that the cervicovaginal microbiome plays an important modulatory role by influencing epithelial barrier integrity, local immune responses, and inflammatory…