Prospective cases were women who developed a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 or higher (CIN2+) within 3 years of sample draw, while controls were women who remained disease-free.
Even after routine sample tissue processing (e.g., formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections) or years of sample storage at −20 °C, miR levels remain readily detectable (Hall et al, 2012).
We observed many CpGs that were differentially variable between women who developed a non-invasive cervical neoplasia within 3 years of sample collection and those that remained disease-free.
The results of the present study showed that universal vaccination of infants has contributed directly to the reduction in the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HBc during the years of sample collection.
Risk estimates did not change appreciably after exclusion of cases (and corresponding matched controls) diagnosed within two years of sample collection, and we did not observe differences in risk by menopausal status or duration of follow-up.
Because samples were collected prospectively and results were similar when cases diagnosed within two years of sample collection were excluded, it is unlikely that early disease processes would have affected 1-OHPG measurements.
