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Preliminary Findings on the Effects of Interferon-α Treatment on Human Papilloma virus Infection in a Small Pilot Study of HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Co-Infected Men

E. Susan Amirian, Elizabeth Y. Chiao, Kirk T. Hill, Deborah Marquez-Do and Michael E. Scheurer

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) has been etiologically linked with a number of different cancers. A few older studies have evaluated the effects of Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) treatment on HPV infection and HPV-related dysplasia. However, findings from these studies may not be generalizable to the more recent formulations of IFN-α that are now used to treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. The purpose of this small pilot study was to assess whether treatment for HCV by pegylated, rather than standard, IFN-α was associated with the presence of or distribution of the types of HPV found in the oral, penile, and anal regions of HIV and HCV co-infected men. A total of 33 men were enrolled in this pilot study. Of these, 10 were in the IFN-α-exposed group and 23 were in the IFN-α-naïve comparison group. The IFN-α-naïve group had a higher average number of different HPV types present in penile and oral swabs, but not in anal swabs, compared to the treated group. The results of this small pilot study are preliminary. However, our findings have provided some rationale for continuing to explore whether pegylated IFN-α may be a useful adjuvant therapy, or whether it could be combined with other treatment modalities for controlling HPV infection (or disease), specifically of the penis or oral mucosa, among high-risk and HIV-Infected populations.