Cervical cancer usually takes years to decades to develop from tissue abnormalities. Almost always, the disease is caused by long-standing human papillomavirus (HPV) infections.

In recent years, research has focused much on the prevention through vaccination against HP viruses in young girls. If cancer has developed in later years, the degenerate tissue on the cervix is removed in the early cancer stage. If metastasis is present, removal of the uterus usually occurs.

Led by Dr. Cindrilla Chumduri from the Biocenter of the Julius Maximilians University Würzburg as well as by Rajendra Kumar Gurumurthy (Berlin) and Thomas F. Meyer (Kiel), a team of scientists has developed organoid models that can recapitulate tumorigenesis at the cervix. The organoids consist of a multilayered squamous epithelium and single-layered columnar epithelial cells. At these sites, so-called metaplasia can occur in the cervix - a precancerous stage whose early detection would enable early treatment. With their new tissue model, the research team has elucidated how these metaplastic cells develop and how they are regulated.

The scientists have presented their work in the journal Nature Cell Biology:
Cindrilla Chumduri, Rajendra Kumar Gurumurthy, Hilmar Berger, et al (2021). Opposing Wnt signals regulate cervical squamocolumnar homeostasis and emergence of metaplasia, Nature Cell Biology, DOI: 10.1038/s41556-020-00619-0.

Source:
https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/aktuelles/einblick/single/news/organoid-modelle-fuer-den-gebaermutterhals/