Type specific persistence of high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) as indicator of high grade cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions in young women: population based prospective follow up study

TLDR

The study aimed to determine whether HPV infection predicts cervical neoplasia and whether repeated detection of the same HPV type elevates the risk of squamous intraepithelial lesions. A population‑based prospective cohort of 10,758 Danish women aged 20–29 was followed for about two years, with cervical smears and swabs taken at enrolment and a second visit to assess HPV status and cytological outcomes. HPV positivity at baseline or follow‑up markedly increased the odds of atypical, low‑grade, and high‑grade cervical lesions, with the greatest risk for high‑grade lesions when the same HPV type was detected at both visits (OR ≈ 813).

Abstract

<h3>Abstract</h3> <b>Objectives:</b> To investigate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of cervical neoplasia in women with no previous cervical cytological abnormalities; whether the presence of virus DNA predicts development of squamous intraepithelial lesion; and whether the risk of incident squamous intraepithelial lesions differs with repeated detection of the same HPV type versus repeated detection of different types. <b>Design:</b> Population based prospective cohort study. <b>Setting:</b> General population in Copenhagen, Denmark. <b>Participants:</b> 10 758 women aged 20-29 years followed up for development of cervical cytological abnormalities; 370 incident cases were detected (40 with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, 165 with low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, 165 with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions). <b>Main outcome measures:</b> Results of cervical smear tests and cervical swabs at enrolment and at the second examination about two years later. <b>Results:</b> Compared with women who were negative for human papillomavirus at enrolment, those with positive results had a significantly increased risk at follow up of having atypical cells (odds ratio 3.2, 95% confidence interval 1.3 to 7.9), low grade lesions (7.5, 4.8 to 11.7), or high grade lesions (25.8,15.3 to 43.6). Similarly, women who were positive for HPV at the second examination had a strongly increased risk of low (34.3,17.6 to 67.0) and high grade lesions (60.7, 25.5 to 144.0). For high grade lesions the risk was strongly increased if the same virus type was present at both examinations (813.0, 168.2 to 3229.2). <b>Conclusions:</b> Infection with human papillomavirus precedes the development of low and high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. For high grade lesions the risk is greatest in women positive for the same type of HPV on repeated testing.