p16INK4a as a Biomarker in Cervical Precancerous and Cancerous Lesions: An Immunohistochemical Cross-Sectional Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21276/apalm.3660Keywords:
p16INK4a , cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, squamous cell carcinoma, immunohistochemistry, hpv, biomarkerAbstract
Background: p16INK4a is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor overexpressed in high-risk HPV-associated cervical lesions.
Objective: To assess p16INK4a expression across cervical lesion grades and correlate with histopathological parameters.
Methods: This cross-sectional study analysed 98 cervical biopsies (LSIL, HSIL, carcinoma). Immunohistochemistry for p16INK4a was performed. Expression intensity and extent were scored (0-3+). Statistical correlations with lesion grade, pleomorphism, and mitotic activity were evaluated.
Results: Strong p16INK4a expression was found in 84.6% of HSIL and all carcinoma cases, but only 21.4% of LSIL. p16 positivity correlated significantly with nuclear pleomorphism and mitotic activity (p < 0.001). ROC analysis (AUC = 1.00) demonstrated excellent diagnostic accuracy.
Conclusion: p16INK4a expression correlates with cervical lesion severity and histological atypia, confirming its diagnostic utility in differentiating high-grade lesions, especially in low-resource settings.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ankita Dwivedi, Sanjay Agrawal, Sanjeev Yadav, Niteesh Pandey, Ekta Chaudhary, Rinki Kumari, Naveen Dubey
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