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REVIEW article

Oncol. Rev.

Sec. Oncology Reviews: Reviews

Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/or.2025.1570071

This article is part of the Research TopicImmunological Aspects and Immunotherapy in Gynecologic CancersView all 20 articles

Patterns of Immune Cell Infiltration and Oxidative Stress in Cervical Cancer

Provisionally accepted
  • 1First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
  • 2Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Quzhou City People's Hospital, Quzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Cervical cancer (CeCa) remains a significant global health burden, with complex interactions between oxidative stress and immune response playing critical roles in its pathogenesis and progression. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms linking oxidative stress pathways and immune evasion, particularly focusing on HPV oncogenes E6 and E7. We highlight the dual roles of immune components such as Type 17 T helper (Th17) cells and the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), which exhibit context-dependent tumor-promoting and suppressive functions. While extensive mechanistic insights have been gained, translation to clinical practice remains limited, partly due to inconsistent biomarkers and incomplete understanding of therapeutic resistance. Recent advances in targeted therapies, including mitochondrial inhibitors, Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (e.g., pembrolizumab, nivolumab), and PARP inhibitors, demonstrate promise but face translational hurdles such as assay variability and immune-related adverse events. Future research must address gaps including predictive biomarker development, noninvasive monitoring via liquid biopsy, and rational combination therapies integrating redox modulation and immunotherapy. Enhanced multi-omics integration and refined preclinical models are essential to advance personalized treatment strategies for CeCa.

Keywords: Tumor Microenvironment, Oxidative Stress, Immune Cell Infiltration, HPV oncogenes, therapeutic strategies, cervical cancer

Received: 02 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Mlambo, Shuyue, Dhlamini and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Yuyang Zhang, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

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