Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus in women with normal and abnormal cervical cytology

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary etiologic agent of cervical cancer. HPV infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted viral infections and more than 50% of women encounter HPV infection in their lifetime. Worldwide, more than 470,000 new cases of cervical cancer are recognized each year, and approximately 270,000 deaths due to cervical cancer are reported. Most of the cervical cancer cases, about 80%, occur in developing countries where cervical cancer screening programs are not implemented or implemented effectively. Early diagnosis is effective, because precancerous lesions progress to invasive cancer very slowly, usually over 10 years. Cervical cancer is a largely (>90%) preventable disease with detection and treatment of precancerous lesions. This study will be carried out to determine the prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus in women with normal and abnormal cervical cytology who applied to Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Oncology. Transport of cervical swab specimens will be done in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Viral Nucleic Acid Extraction kit will be used for viral DNA extraction from cervical swab samples. Diagnosis of HPV DNA will be made by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test using MY09/11 and GP5+/6+ consensus primers. HPV Genotypes 14 Real-TM Quant PCR kit (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 68) for the determination of high-risk HPV genotypes in samples with positive HPV DNA test will be used. In conclusion, determining the distribution of dominant HPV genotypes in women with normal cervical cytology and abnormal cytology with cervical precancerous lesions in our region is important for the evaluation of the effectiveness of HPV vaccines today. In addition, HPV DNA positivity will contribute to the identification of women at risk for cervical cancer, thus helping to guide treatment with timely detection of high-risk patients.