Prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus and cervical lesion risk factors: A population-based study in Zhejiang, China 2010-2019

This study investigates the epidemiological characteristics of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) and analyzes the risk of cervical lesions among women in Zhejiang province, China. HPV data were collected retrospectively from a cohort of 67 742 women who underwent routine cervical cancer screening from 2010 to 2019. Precancerous and cervical cancer cases (n = 980) were histologically diagnosed as a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL; n = 341) or a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL; n = 499) and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) (n = 140) groups. Disordered logistic regression analysis was used to test the relationship between different degrees of cervical lesions, HPV16/18 infection status, positive rate of p16(INK4a) (p16), Ki-67 expression, and patient's age in SIL and ICC (270/980 cases) patients. HPV52 (4.7%) was the most prevalent HPV type, followed by HPV16 (3.3%) and HPV58 (2.6%). HPV16 was the most common HPV in SIL, peaking at the age of 30-39. The HPV16 infection rate was significantly higher in HSIL than in LSIL patients; moreover, HPV16, HPV18, and HPV51 infection rates were significantly higher in ICC patients than in HSIL (Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.0167). The presence of HPV16/18 was also associated with a higher risk of developing HSIL from LSIL (odds ratio [OR] = 9.198, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.76-127.49). The increased p16 expression and HPV16/18 were associated with the increased risk of cancer progression (OR = 1.092, 95% CI: 1.03-1.36; OR = 1.495, 95% CI: 1.23-2.19, respectively). The identified hrHPV genotypes in cervical lesions can serve as a baseline indicator for future vaccine assessment in Zhejiang, China.

Automated summary

This study investigated the epidemiological characteristics of high-risk HPV in Zhejiang province, China, and found a significant association between HPV16 infection and cervical lesions. The presence of HPV16/18 was also linked to increased risk of developing high-grade cervical lesions and cancer progression in this population. These findings underscore the importance of HPV testing in early screening and prevention of cervical cancer.