Which marker is associated with cervical carcinomas?

• A. CEA
• B. p16
• C. HPV
• D. EGFR

Answer: (A)

In cervical carcinomas, HPV infection drives malignant transformation, and a key marker used to signal this HPV-driven process is p16INK4a. When high-risk HPV proteins inactivate the Rb tumor suppressor, cells upregulate p16, so strong, diffuse p16 expression on immunohistochemistry is a hallmark of HPV-related cervical neoplasia and helps distinguish these lesions from others. CEA is a general tumor marker more typical of colorectal, gastric, or pancreatic cancers and isn’t specific to cervical cancer. EGFR overexpression occurs in various cancers and isn’t defining for cervical carcinomas. HPV itself is the etiologic agent and detected by DNA testing, but the most informative immunohistochemical marker for the cervical cancer context is p16.