Conclusions and future perspectives
The main reason that HPV infection can cause cervical cancer and other related diseases is due to the ability of the virus to establish long-term persistent infection. Persistent hrHPV infection can abrogate the host’s innate immunity and the anti-viral defense system, block DNA damage signaling and repair pathways by viral oncoproteins E6/E7, maintain the viral DNA replication in the stratified epithelium, and induce cervical cancer. Research has demonstrated that it takes ~15–20 years for HPV-infected cervical cells to develop into cancerous tumors in women with normal immune systems and 5–10 years in women with weakened immune systems. This provides an opportunity for early clinical intervention to clear hrHPV infection and to promote regression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. However, the development of therapeutic vaccines and drugs for persistent viral infections is still in progress owing to the complexity of persistent hrHPV infection and the specificity of viral integration mechanisms. Effective intervention and treatment are still not available to patients diagnosed with persistent hrHPV infection. Therefore, patients with persistent hrHPV infection are only clinically observed and followed up until the development of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL), after which surgical treatment must be performed. However, because residual hrHPV cannot be completely removed by surgery, recurrence of viral infection and CIN is common, and moreover some patients may have fertility or other concerns and refuse surgery. Hence, there is an urgent need for effective, non-invasive clinical intervention.
This review summarizes recent studies on the underlying mechanism, clinical observations, and real-world evidence of REBACIN® as a non-invasive clinical intervention with high efficacy in clearing persistent hrHPV infection and promoting regression of hrHPV-associated cervical intraepithelial lesions via targeted inhibiting expression of hrHPV E6/E7 oncogenes. Patients do not need to be hospitalized and can administer the treatment on their own under the guidance of a physician. Moreover, REBACIN® is a lyophilized preparation that does not require cold chain transportation or storage. Its safety, reliability, stable effect, low cost, and ease of use make REBACIN® a viable option for clinical application.