@article{Sinno2026, 
author = {Abdulrahman K. Sinno and Aisha Mustapha and Navya Nair and Simona Zaami and Lina De Paola and Valentina Billone and Eleonora Conti and Giuseppe Gullo and Pasquale Patrizio},
title = {Circulating Tumor DNA in Cervical Cancer: Clinical Utility and Medico-Legal Perspectives},
year = {2026},
journal = {Oncology Research},
volume = {34},
number = {1},
pages = {4},
keywords = {Circulating tumor DNA, circulating tumor human papillomavirus, cervical cancer, medico-legal implications},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.32604/or.2025.072176},
doi = {10.32604/or.2025.072176},
abstract = {Cervical cancer related to human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide. Cancer cells release fragments of their DNA, known as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), which can be detected in bodily fluids. A PubMed search using the terms “ctHPV” or “circulating tumor DNA” and “cervical cancer”, limited to the past ten years, identified 104 articles, complemented by hand-searching for literature addressing medico-legal implications. Studies were evaluated for relevance and methodological quality. Detection and characterization of circulating tumor HPV DNA (ctHPV DNA) have emerged as promising tools for assessing prognosis and disease recurrence in cervical cancer. Detection techniques include polymerase chain reaction (PCR), digital droplet PCR (ddPCR), and next-generation sequencing (NGS). This review summarizes current knowledge on ctHPV DNA in cervical cancer and explores its clinical and medico-legal implications, including management of discordant results, diagnostic errors, liability, and data protection compliance.}
}