Study on the Infection and Related Factors of High-risk HPV in Cervical Cancer Screening Women: Based on 450 000 Participants in Chengdu

Abstract

Background Cervical cancer, a prevalent malignancy in women, has a well-established etiology and can be effectively prevented through standardized screening. The WHO recommends HPV testing as the primary method for cervical cancer screening. Understanding the status of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection in Chengdu is crucial for optimizing primary hrHPV screening. Objective To investigate the hrHPV infection status among cervical cancer screening participants aged 35-64 years in Chengdu, and explore the related factors affecting the positive detection rate of hrHPV. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from 459 433 women who received free cervical cancer screening in Chengdu in 2023, sourced from the "Chengdu Reproductive Health Database of Women of Childbearing Age". We analyzed the overall distribution of different hrHPV genotypes and the distribution of hrHPV subtypes in patients with cervical lesions, and compared the hrHPV infection in different populations. Multivariate Logistic regression models identified factors affecting the positive detection rate of hrHPV. Results The hrHPV prevalence among participants was 11.65% (53 509/459 433), with an increase observed with age (χ2=1 501.082, P<0.001). Among cervical cancer patients, 82.39% (131/159) were infected with HPV 16 or 18, predominantly with simple HPV 16 infection (52.20%, 83/159). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that age, education level, marital status, menopausal status, contraceptive method, gravidity, and parity were significant factors influencing the positive detection rate of hrHPV (P<0.05) . Conclusion The hrHPV infection prevalence in Chengdu is slightly lower than the national average. The findings suggest a need for targeted health education and follow-up, particularly for patients positive for HPV 16 or 18. Emphasis should be placed on carrying out related publicity to groups such as the elderly, less educated, unmarried or divorced/widowed, postmenopausal women, those not using contraception or using methods other than condoms, and women with gravidity and parity more than twice, so as to strengthen the publicity of the core knowledge of cervical cancer prevention and control and reproductive health knowledge, and improve women's health literacy.

Keywords

• cervical cancer|papillomavirus infections|high risk human papillomavirus|screening|root cause analysis