In young women, if they are carriers of HPV types 16 or 18, a high risk of precancerous lesions even with normal rates of other screening tests, as shown by published in Cancer research.
The study was conducted at the Karolinska Institute (Karolinska Institutet) in Sweden, in cooperation with University of Ljubljana (University of Ljubljana), Slovenia, and the Scientific Institute of public health (Scientific Institute of Public Health), Belgium.
Four out of five women of childbearing age are infected with HPV in their lifetime. 5% of women the infection becomes chronic and can cause precancerous lesions and cervical cancer. HPV types 16 and 18 account for about 70% of all cervical cancers and most precancerous lesions is a high degree of malignancy. There are several other types of HPV that can cause precancerous lesions and cervical cancer.
For early detection of precancerous diseases in Swedish women aged 23 to 64 years screened with endocervical smears. Then (when abnormal) the sample is tested for HPV. Under the new rules, the screening of 32 years should be in the form of a test for HPV, and if positive, a sample of cells. Under normal results of screening 3-7 years, and in case of deviation from normal gynecological examination.
The researchers studied the risk of cervical cancer in patients with normal smear results more than 9,000 analyses women from 20 to 60 years in the Swedish screening program from 2005 to 2007. During the observation period (until 2014) nearly 100 of them had developed precancerous lesions or, in some cases, cervical cancer. Samples of cells were then tested for HPV and compared individually with samples from healthy women. Scientists have discovered that women over 30 years old, carriers of HPV of high oncogenic risk (regardless of type), the risk of developing precancerous lesions or cancer was 8 times higher than in women with negative HPV results.
Normal cellular tests do not guarantee that women will not appear precancerous changes that can lead to cervical cancer. Therefore, we must often follow women with positive HPV results, says Sonia Andersson (Sonia Andersson), Professor of gynecology in the Department of women’s and children’s health Karolinska Institute.
Women to 30 years who test positive for HPV 16 and 18 had a much higher risk of developing precancerous lesions or cervical cancer.
Valeria SEMA