Human papillomavirus infection, cervical cancer and the less explored role of trace elements

Cervical cancer is an aggressive type of cancer affecting women worldwide. Many affected individuals rely on smear tests for the diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation for their treatment. However, due to a broad set of undesired results and side-effects associated with the existing protocols, the search for better diagnostic and therapeutic interventions is a never-ending pursuit. In the purview, the bio-concentration of trace elements (copper, selenium, zinc, iron, arsenic, manganese, and cadmium) is seen to fluctuate during the occurrence of cervical cancer and its progression from pre-cancerous to metastatic nature. Thus, during the occurrence of cervical cancer, the detection of trace elements and their supplementation will prove to be highly advantageous in developing diagnostic tools and therapeutics, respectively. This review provides a detailed overview of cervical cancer, its encouragement by human papillomavirus infections, the mechanism of pathology, and resistance. Majorly, the review emphasizes the less explored role of trace elements, their contribution to the growth and inhibition of cervical cancer. Numerous clinical trials have been listed, thereby providing a comprehensive reference to the exploration of trace elements in the management of cervical cancer.