Correlation between atypical colposcopy findings and detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the uterine cervix

Reports on the detection of genome human papillomaviruses (HPV) in genital neoplasia differ to a great extent either in the overall prevalence or in the frequency of certain types. The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between the HPV infection and the occurrence of premalignant and malignant diseases of the uterine cervix and to investigate the ratio between clinical features and infection findings starting from the assumption that infection by human papillomaviruses is a key factor in the occurrence of premalignant and malignant disease of the uterine cervix. The investigation was carried out on 48 patients who formed the study group (Group I). Based on suspicious colposcopy findings, a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear and biopsy were performed and a histopathological analysis of the sample was carried out. A cervical smear was done on all the patients for HPV detection and typing. The patients in whom HPV infection was not found formed a control group (C Group). In spite of certain divergences it has not been proved that the ratio between colposcopy findings and HPV type has any statistical importance (chi2 = 3.305; p > 0.05). The distribution of Pap smear results did not shown a significant difference with respect to HPV type (chi2 = 0.105; p > 0.05). When the data are analyzed the diagnosis of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LGSIL) is evident in 20% of the HPV cases whereas it is significantly lower with respect to the group where HPV was not detected (42.5%). Histopathological (HP) findings of a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HGSIL) in both groups are diagnosed in approximately the same percentage while 6.7% of cancer in situ was registered in the group of HPV positive patients. Based on this it can be concluded that if a diagnosis of LGSIL or HGSIL in particular has been made on the basis of HP findings there is a great probability that the infection was due to one or more joined types of human papillomaviruses.

Atypical colposcopy findings, HPV

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