A parasite that infects millions of people through Africa can quietly give the cervix for cancer – and, surprisingly, standard treatment for infection could amplify this risk, new research advice.
Schistosoma hematobiumA flat worm that lives in fresh water and can penetrate the skin, is already Known to increase the risk of bladder cancer. Now, research presented on April 12 in Escmid Global 2025 – An annual meeting on clinical microbiology and infectious diseases – revealed how worm can also trigger the activity of cancer genes in the cervix, both in an active infection and after its erasure.
The study included only a small group of women, so that its results support confirmation in more important trials.
“A more in -depth study is necessary for us to understand if this link really exists and to what extent it increases the risk of cervical cancer,” said Dr Joshua CohenThe medical director of the City of Hope Orange County gynecological cancer program which was not involved in research.
Be that as it may, “taking into account parasitic infections are the most frequent in countries with less access to clean water and sanitation, it is important to focus on reducing the rate of parasitic infections for all people living in these places,” Cohen told Live Science in an email.
In relation: The new HPV test of Self-Swab is an alternative to PAP smear. Here’s how it works.
An unknown factor in cervical cancer?
S. Hematobium infected About 110 million people worldwide. However, previous studies carried out in African countries only suggest 1.7% to 3% Cases of cervical cancer in these regions can be linked to infection. The main pathogen that leads to cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV); Almost all cases of cervical cancer are linked to persistent infections by high risk strains of the virus.
HPV leads to cancer by producing viral proteins that disrupt the life cycle of cervical cells and dexpected in the DNA of the infected host. S. HematobiumHowever, adopts a different approach, Dr Jennifer DownsAggregate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine who worked on new research, told Live Science in an email.
The flat worm, found in Africa and in certain parts of the Middle East, causes a disease called schistosomiasis, which can cause itching, fever, chills, coughs and muscle pain. To study how the worm could affect the cervix, the researchers analyzed the tissue samples of 39 women in Tanzania – 20 with active infections and 19 without.
All infected participants received standard treatment, a drug called Praziquantel. Tissue samples were taken before this treatment, then four to 12 months later.
The team analyzed the activity of fabric genes, identifying several genes that behaved differently in infected women than in uninfected women; They also identified genes that changed their activity after antiparasitic treatment. Four of the modified genes are known to play a role in cancer, generally by resulting in abnormal growth and cellular tumors when their activity is too high.
After treatment, the genes involved in inflammation And the repair of the tissues, as well as the genes associated with the degradation of the protective barriers of the cervix, have become more active. These changes have been linked to greater growth in blood vessels and unless cell death, as well as to activating certain processes observed in cancer.
Changes in genes that help maintain the cervical protective barrier are “particularly worrying”, the main study author Dr Anna MertelsmannResearcher at the University Hospital Zurich and Weill Cornell Medicine who specializes in infectious diseases and molecular oncology, said in a statement. “Without these, women can become more vulnerable to the infection and persistence of HPV.”
Thus, these changes in the cervix could open the door to viral cancer cancer infections.
How the Ver raises the risk of cervical cancer
In summary, when the eggs of the parasite are housed in the cervical tissues, they cause a strong inflammatory response, Mertelsmann told Live Science in an email. This inflammation produces reactive molecules This could damage DNA in cells on the surface of the collar, she explained.
It is believed that the same mechanism lead to bladder cancer, which can occur when S. Hematobium Eggs enter the bladder, said Downs. It is estimated that 40% to 70% of women and girls infected with the parasite probably have eggs housed in the genital tracks, she added.
In addition to the carcinogenic effects of eggs, the infection triggers repeated cycles of injuries and healing that can cause abnormal tissue growth, said Mertelsmann in an email. Simultaneously, changes in the protective barrier of the cervix can alter the body’s capacity to detect and eliminate precancerous cells before progressing to cancer, she said.
The study also revealed that praziquantel can include risk for cancer, as it was associated with genetic changes related to the disease. “At least shortly after treatment, elimination of S. Hematobium Could at least transiently increase the risk of oncogenesis, “or the growth of cancer, told Mertelsmann to Live Science.
However, although the data indicate these genetic changes related to cancer, “we do not know if S. Hematobium Infection or treatment causes or contributes to cervical cancer, “she said. Longer, larger studies are necessary to unpack exactly how genetic changes could have an impact on the risk of cancer, she said.
In particular, if it is not treated, S. Hematobium infection may damage the organsIncluding the lungs, the intestines and the spleen, so the treatment of renunciation would be accompanied by its own risks.
The information of this study could have significant implications for cancer prevention in regions where schistosomiasis is endemic.
“Women have diagnosed S. Hematobium should be closely monitored for the first signs of cervical tissue abnormalities, “said Mertelsmann in the press release. Additional therapies, such as anti-inflammatory or immune drugs, can also help to counter the harmful effects observed after treatment, have suggested.
Now the researchers follow a larger group of 180 women over a year to confirm these first results. Future studies will explore whether women with a history of schistosomiasis are more likely to develop cervical cancer due to long -term HPV infections.
This article is for information only and is not supposed to offer medical advice.