Abstract
Uterine cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, and its etiology has been recognized. High-risk human papilloma virus (HR-HPV) infection induces an opportunity for malignant transformation. This paper discusses the current issues based on a review of the literature and compares the impact of the dietary and nutrient intake to the impact of tobacco smoking on cervical cancer development. The important roles of diet/nutrition in cervical cancer are as prophylaxis against HR-HPV infection. Antioxidant vitamins can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells, stabilize the p53 protein, prevent DNA damage, and reduce immunosuppression. In contrast, tobacco smoking not only causes DNA adducts and strand breaks, but it independently causes an increased viral load in HR-HPV-infected cells. Tobacco smoking induces the heightened expression of E6 and E7 and can inhibit the immune system response to HPV. What happens when two materials, which have opposite effects on cervical cells, are taken in at the same time? The negative effects of tobacco smoking may be stronger than the positive effects of vitamins, vegetables, and fruits on the regression of cervical disease such as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). A relatively low intake of vitamins, vegetables, and fruits in combination with tobacco smoking was most associated with a high incidence of cervical neoplasia.
Highlights
Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women with an estimated 570,000 new cases in 2018 [1]
Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection has been recognized as a necessary step in the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), which is graded from 1 to 3 depending on the degree of epithelial abnormality, and cervical cancer
HR-HPV integration is facilitated by the generation of DNA damage/double strand breaks (DSBs) [23], which causes DNA oxidation
Summary
Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women with an estimated 570,000 new cases in 2018 [1]. The causal relationship between high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and cervical cancer development has been well documented (up to 99.7%) [2]. Tobacco smoking has been associated with the progression of cervical dysplasia and cancer. In women who smoke tobacco, the risk of developing cervical cancer is up to two times higher than that in women who do not smoke tobacco [7]. The important role of antioxidant nutrients/diets, such as vitamins, fruits, and vegetables, in preventing the development of cervical cancer has received a lot of attention during recent decades [8]. The important roles of dietary antioxidants in cervical cancer are as prophylaxis against HPV infection. This paper reviews the current issues in the relevant literature and the effects of the antioxidant diets/nutrients and smoking on cervical cancer, and it discusses the points to be noted
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
