Prevalence and genotype identification of human papillomavirus in women undergoing voluntary cervical cancer screening in Molise, central Italy

Cancer Epidemiol. 2010 Apr;34(2):162-7. doi: 10.1016/j.canep.2009.12.010. Epub 2010 Jan 15.

Abstract

We examined the prevalence of HR- and LR-HPV by Linear Array genotyping test in 299 women aged 18-63 years who consecutively visited Molise Region main hospitals for routine Pap smear between February and August 2008. Ninety women were positive for any HPV (30.1%), and 66 for any HR-HPV (22.1%). The most prevalent HR-HPV types were HPV 16 (22.2% of all women with HPV infection), HPV 53 (14.4%), and HPV 66 (14.4%). HPV infections increased from 15.8% in the 18-20 years group to 50.0% in the 21-23 years group and then decreased to 9.1% in those aged 50 years or more (p=0.008). Multiple HPV infections were observed in 15.7% of the study sample (52.2% of all HPV positive). There is a significantly higher prevalence of multiple infections in 18-32 years group women (24.5%) compared with females aged 33 years or more (6.8%) (p<0.005). Current smokers were at increased risk of HPV infection (44.2% of HPV infections compared with 23.5% in never smokers, and 25.3% of multiple HPV infections compared with 11.3%; p=0.001). HR-HPV infections were higher in women never been pregnant (27.1% compared with 7.7%; p=0.001). Oral contraceptive use was completely unrelated to infection. Among the 122 women who had both cytological examination and HPV results, multiple HR-HPV types were found in 36.8% of those with abnormal cervical findings, and in 13.6% of those with normal cervical findings (p=0.05). The results of the present investigation provide further evidence for the notion that cervical HPV infection is more widespread than previously suggested.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cervix Uteri / pathology
  • Cervix Uteri / virology
  • Early Detection of Cancer
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Papillomaviridae / genetics*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Papillomavirus Infections / genetics
  • Papillomavirus Infections / virology*
  • Parity
  • Pregnancy
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Smoking / epidemiology
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / epidemiology*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / genetics
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / pathology
  • Young Adult