https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9896-1392
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ABSTRACT
Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the pivotal cause of cervical carcinogenesis. HPV types distribution varies greatly by region, and its long-term changes of prevalence remain to be fully characterized in China. Here, the largest population of 198,111 consecutive women who underwent routine cervical screening were investigated from 2015 to 2021 in Guangzhou, south China. The results showed that the overall HPV prevalence was 21.66% (42,911/198,111), and the annual prevalence increased significantly from 2015 to 2021 (p < 0.001). HPV52, 16, 58, CP8304, 51, 53, 39, and 68 were the most prevalent HPV types. The relative HPV-positive rate correlated positively with the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (p < 0.001); HPV16 was the predominant carcinogenic type, followed by HPV52 and HPV18. HPV infections were significantly age-specific, and 26.51% (11,375/42,911) of cases were caused by multiple HPV types. In addition, HPV infections typically cleared over a median time of 16 (interquartile range 9–31) months, and the clearance of HPV16 was significantly faster than that of other types (p < 0.001). These findings may serve as a guide for local governments to evaluate HPV vaccination and cervical cancer prevention strategies in south China.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all pathologists for their help with the diagnosis of cervical lesions and all participants involved in the testing and specimen collection at the Guangdong Women and Children Hospital.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author (s).
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Ethics approval
This study was approved by the ethics committee of the Guangdong Women and Children Hospital.
Author contributions
Xiaohan Yang and Mingyong Luo designed the study. Xiaohan Yang, Yuanyuan Li, Yuan Tang, Zhiyu Li, and Tianwen He conducted the laboratory tests and analyzed the data. Sanfeng Wang and Xiping Luo provided diagnosis information of enrolled individuals. Xiaohan Yang and Yuanyuan Li prepared the manuscript. Mingyong Luo and Aihua Yin edited and reviewed the manuscript. All the authors approved the final version of the manuscript.