HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS INFECTIONS, VIRAL LOAD AND AGE IN WOMEN WITH CERVICAL CANCER
Keywords:
Human papillomavirus, multi-type HPV infection, age, HPV DNA viral loadAbstract
Introduction: Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of preinvasive and invasive cervical lesions. The study aimed to investigate associations between HPV infections, age, HPV DNA viral load, and cytological abnormalities.
Material and methods: A total of 300 women, aged 18-65, were enrolled in this study as part of a primary cervical cancer screening program, from February 1st 2019 to August 30th 2023. Participants were referred to the Microbiological Laboratory of the Bitola Public Health Center for HPV genotyping, conducted concurrently with the Pap test. Specimens for HPV genotyping were collected by cervical canal scraping. DNA extraction used the genomic DNA Kit by Life-Technology. HPV genotypes and viral DNA concentration were determined using the HPV Quantitative Real-time PCR Kit, DTlite, Russia.
Results: Participants were categorized into a control group, 97 patients with normal Pap tests, and a study group (119 with low-risk cervical lesions - non-hrCL, and 87 with high-risk cervical lesions - hr-CL). HPV infections exhibited a bimodal distribution, with peaks in women aged 18-34 and 55-64. MT-HPV infection correlated with a higher proportion of hr-CL (54.76%) compared to non-hrCL (41.18%) and normal findings (31.96%). Viral loads for specific HPV types increased linearly with worsening cervical lesions, except for HPV-18, -45, -56, and -59, which exhibited a decrease in viral loads.
Conclusion: Associations between type-specific viral load and cervical pathology severity underscore the significance of enhanced measures for treating and monitoring patients infected with high-risk HPV, particularly those with MT-HPV infections and high viral loads.
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