Detection of Human Papillomavirus DNA and E6/E7 Mrna from HPV Genotypes 16, 18, 31 and 33 in Histologically Confirmed Cases of Cervical Cancer and Precancerous Lesions in Burkina Faso

Introduction: Cervical cancer, caused by persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, remains a global public health problem.The cellular transformation and maintenance of the malignant phenotype of these HPVs are attributed to the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7.Objective: This study aims to detect the presence of human papillomavirus DNA and E6/E7 oncoprotein mRNA of HPV genotypes 16, 18, 31 and 33 in cases of cervical cancer and precancerous lesions, histologically confirmed in Burkina Faso.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study focused on cases of cervical cancer and high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and was conducted from June to December 2022.One hundred (100) samples of fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues were collected from the pathological anatomy and cytology laboratories of hospitals in the capital of Burkina Faso.High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA was detected using multiplex real-time PCR, while the presence of E6 and E7 mRNA in cervical cancer and highgrade CIN samples was determined using real-time Reverse Transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) with TaqMan probes.Results: The mean age of women diagnosed with cervical cancer and high-grade CIN was 50.81 ± 13.65 years,