Often-overlooked infection can increase cervical cancer risk and it definitely causes bladder cancer

A tiny parasite may be wreaking havoc below the belt — even long after it’s gone.A new study found that an “often-overlooked” parasitic infection, already linked to bladder cancer, could also trigger cancer-related gene activity in the cervical lining.Even more troubling, the genetic changes appear to intensify after treatment, a red flag that researchers say suggests patients may need closer monitoring even after their infection has cleared. Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that runs rampant in tropical and subtropical areas where clean water and proper sanitation are in short supply, according to the World Health Organization.The infection usually kicks off when microscopic larvae — courtesy of freshwater snails — burrow into your skin during a dip in contaminated water.One particularly nasty strain, S.

haematobium, infects over 110 million people around the world.One inside the body, the larvae grow into adult worms that lay eggs in the urinary and reproductive tracts.Those eggs set off chronic inflammation, damaging tissue and causing cellular changes that can sometimes lead to bladder cancer.

But their impact on the cervix has largely been a mystery — until now.In a new study, researchers analyzed cervical tissue samples from 39 Tanzanian women, some infected with S.haematobium and others not.The infected women were treated with praziquantel, a drug that kills the adult worms, and samples were taken before and 4 to 12 months after treatment.By studying the gene activity in these samples, the team identified nine genes that behaved differently in the infected and uninfected women.“The findings suggest that infection may trigger molecular changes that make women more vulnerable to cancer-related processes in the cervix,” said Dr.

Anna Maria Mertelsmann, a researcher at University Hospital Zurich and Weill Cornell Medicine, who led the study.She recommended that women diagnosed with S.haematobium be closed monitored for early signs of ...