Evaluation of Viral Load as a Triage Strategy With Primary High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Cervical Cancer Screening

Key aspects of papillomavirus infection influence the host cervicovaginal microbiome in a preclinical murine papillomavirus (MmuPV1) infection model

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and are a major etiological agent of cancers in the anogenital tract and oral cavity. Growing evidence suggests changes in the host microbiome are associated with the natural history and ultimate outcome of HPV infection. We sought to define changes in the host cervicovaginal microbiome during papillomavirus infection, persistence, and pathogenesis using the murine papillomavirus (MmuPV1) cervicovaginal infection model. Cervicovaginal lavages were performed over a time course of MmuPV1 infection in immunocompetent female FVB/N mice and extracted DNA was analyzed by qPCR to track MmuPV1 viral copy number. 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing was used to determine the composition and diversity of microbial communities throughout this time course. We also sought to determine whether specific microbial communities exist across the spectrum of MmuPV1-induced neoplastic disease. We, therefore, performed laser-capture microdissection to isolate regions of disease representing all stages of neoplastic disease progression (normal, low- and high-grade dysplasia, and cancer) from female reproductive tract tissue sections from MmuPV1-infected mice and performed 16S rRNA sequencing. Consistent with other studies, we found that the natural murine cervicovaginal microbiome is highly variable across different experiments. Despite these differences in initial microbiome composition between experiments, we observed that MmuPV1 persistence, viral load, and severity of disease influenced the composition of the cervicovaginal microbiome. These studies demonstrate that papillomavirus infection can alter the cervicovaginal microbiome.IMPORTANCEHuman papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. A subset of HPVs that infect the anogenital tract (cervix, vagina, anus) and oral cavity cause at least 5% of cancers worldwide. Recent evidence indicates that the community of microbial organisms present in the human cervix and vagina, known as the cervicovaginal microbiome, plays a role in HPV-induced cervical cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying this interplay are not well-defined. In this study, we infected the female reproductive tract of mice with a murine papillomavirus (MmuPV1) and found that key aspects of papillomavirus infection and disease influence the host cervicovaginal microbiome. This is the first study to define changes in the host microbiome associated with MmuPV1 infection in a preclinical animal model of HPV-induced cervical cancer. These results pave the way for using MmuPV1 infection models to further investigate the interactions between papillomaviruses and the host microbiome.

Nonlinear relationship between viral load and TCT in single/multiple HPV52 infection

PURPOSE

To determine the correlation between HPV (human papillomavirus) 52 viral load, multiple infections and ThinPrep cytology test (TCT), to inform clinical management of HPV52-positive women after cervical cancer screening.

METHODS

A total of 1,882 female patients who had positive quantitative HPV tests at Yuebei People's Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022, of whom 533 tested positive for HPV52. We excluded patients who combined HPV16 and/or HPV 18 positivity and whom HPV52 viral load could not be calculated. The final enrollment was 488 patients, including 400 NILM, 48 ASC-US, 28 LSIL and 12 HSIL. The HPV test is a quantitative multiplexed fluorescent PCR assay that provides both HPV genotyping and viral load.

RESULTS

In our study, there were differences in the median distribution of viral loads among various cytological class categories. The risk of TCT results (LSIL or worse) was increased with the increase of HPV52 viral load, for every LOG unit increase in HPV52 viral load, the risk increased by 26.6%. More importantly, we found a nonlinear relationship between HPV52 viral load and TCT results (LSIL or worse) in both single and multiple infections. When the viral load reaches a threshold, the risk of abnormal cytological results increases significantly.

CONCLUSION

HPV52 viral load is an independent risk factor for TCT results (LSIL or worse). The relationship between HPV52 viral load and TCT results (LSIL or worse) is not linear. Viral load may be used as a triage indicator for HPV52-positive patients, thus improving the post-screening clinical management of HPV52-positive women.

Factors associated with the persistence of human papillomavirus after surgery in patients with cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

To determine the rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) persistence after surgery in patients with cervical cancer, and to analyze the factors associated with HPV persistence and viral load after surgery.

METHODS

Medical records of women who underwent surgery for treatment of cervical cancer between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2019 at Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with persistent HPV infection after 2 years of follow-up were identified. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to determine the impact of various factors including patient age, menopausal status, parity, and surgical margin status on HPV persistence. The Wilcoxon test was used to analyze the factors that influenced postoperative HPV viral load.

RESULTS

Altogether, 607 women were eligible for the final analysis. The persistence rates of HPV at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery were 17.3, 13.7, and 10.2 %, respectively. In univariate analysis, the factors that were predictive of the persistence of HPV infection were old age, postmenopausal status, and positive vaginal incision margin with cancer. In multivariate analysis, the significant independent predictive factors were postmenopausal status and positive vaginal incision margin with cancer (P < 0.05, odds ratio (OR) = 2.289, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.262-4.150 and OR = 3.271, 95 % CI: 1.253-8.537, respectively). A vaginal lesion with cancer or squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) and positive vaginal incision margin influenced HPV viral load at 6 months after surgery (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Postmenopausal patients and those with positive vaginal incision margin with cancer are at an increased risk of HPV persistence after surgical treatment for cervical cancer. Vaginal lesions with cancer or SILs and positive vaginal incision margin are risk factors for high HPV viral load after surgery.

A comparative analysis of cycle threshold (Ct) values from Cobas4800 and AmpFire HPV assay for triage of women with positive hrHPV results

BACKGROUND

To compare the triage performance of HPV viral loads reflected by cycle threshold values (CtV) from two different HPV testing assays: the PCR based Cobas4800 and the isothermal amplification based AmpFire assay.

METHODS

We used the data from a sub-study of The Chinese Multi-Center Screening Trial and analyzed the data of the cases positive in both Cobas4800 and AmpFire assays with recorded CtV. Spearman's correlation was applied to analyze the association between CtV from AmpFire and Cobas4800 assays, as well as the correlation between CtV and the histological lesion grades. The 50th percentile of CtV was used as the cutoff to construct triage algorithms for HPV-positive cases. McNemar's test was used to analyze the differences in sensitivity and specificity for detecting CIN2 + and CIN3 + in different triage algorithms.

RESULTS

Four hundred forty-six HPV positive women who had consistent HPV results from Cobas4800 and AmpFire in terms of the HPV genotype and reported Ct values were included in the analysis. The mean CtV of hrHPV tested by Cobas4800 and AmpFire were linear correlated. Direct association were showed between the severity of cervical lesions and the HPV viral loads reflected by CtV of hrHPV, HPV16, non-16/18 hrHPV and A9 group from both assays. HPV16/18 genotyping combined with low-CtV for non-16/18 hrHPV, especially A9 group, were demonstrated to be satisfactory in the sensitivity and specificity for detecting CIN2 + or CIN3 + .

CONCLUSION

Ct value represented a good triage marker in both PCR-based and isothermal amplification HPV detection.

Correlation between human papillomavirus viral load and cervical lesions classification: A review of current research

Cervical cancer is the fourth largest malignant tumor among women in the world. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection can lead to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. Active papillomavirus infection occurs when the infected basal cells replicate and fill a certain area. Persistent HPV infection can lead to squamous intraepithelial lesions, which are divided into CIN1, CIN2, and CIN3 according to how much epithelium is impacted. Different types of HPV have different possibilities of causing cervical cancer, and high-risk HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer. Research showed that viral load may be an indicator of the progression of cervical precancerous lesions, but this association does not seem to be universal. This article aims to summarize different genotypes, multiple infections, especially viral load, in cervical precancerous lesions, to guide early intervention.

Comparison of cycle threshold values of the Cobas HPV test and viral loads of the BMRT HPV test in cervical cancer screening

Objective

To validate the HPV viral loads that are reflected by the cycle threshold values of Cobas4800 as the viral load indicators by verifying the consistency of the viral loads per unit (10,000 cells) from the BMRT assay.

Methods

The analysis is based on data from the Chinese Multi-Center Screening Trial (CHIMUST). The cases included in the analysis are all positive for physician-collected hrHPV on SeqHPV and/or Cobas4800 or negative for hrHPV but abnormal in cytology (≥LSIL), and some cases selected by nested case-control randomization from those negative for physician-collected hrHPV and cytology. With HPV testing results and relevant Ct values from Cobas4800 available, we tested the entire sample set with the BMRT HPV testing assay and analyzed their agreement with Cobas4800, followed by a comparison of the CtV from Cobas4800 and viral loads (lg) from BMRT by lesion grade.

Results

We included 4,485 women (mean age: 45.4 years) in the study, and 4,290 had complete data. The consistency of genotypes from Cobas4800 and BMRT for hrHPV, HPV-16, HPV-18, and 12-HPV pools was 94.9% (4070/4290, Kappa = 0.827), 99.1% (4251/4290, Kappa = 0.842), 99.6% (4,273/4,290, Kappa = 0.777), and 95.3% (4,089/4,290, Kappa = 0.821), respectively. Further analysis shows that any inconsistency between the two assays is likely among samples with comparatively lower viral loads. When analyzing per lesions of CIN2+ and CIN3+, the CtV from Cobas4800 and VL (lg) from BMRT are highly correlated inversely and follow the linear regression for HPV16 and 12-HPV pool (Pearson's or Spearman's correlation coefficient (r): In CIN3+, r _HPV16 = -0.641, P < 0.001; r _12-HPVpool = -0.343, P = 0.109; In CIN2+, r _HPV16 = -0.754, P < 0.001; r _12-HPVpool = -0.429, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The CtV from Cobas4800 and the viral loads (lg) of per unit cells from the BMRT are well correlated for lesion grading when tested on physician-collected samples. Cobas-CtV is worthy of further study for clinical application.

Establishment of early diagnosis models for cervical precancerous lesions using large-scale cervical cancer screening datasets

Background

Human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA test was applied in cervical cancer screening as an effective cancer prevention strategy. The viral load of HPV generated by different assays attracted increasing attention on its potential value in disease diagnosis and progression discovery.

Methods

In this study, three HPV testing datasets were assessed and compared, including Hybrid Capture 2 (n = 31,954), Aptima HPV E6E7 (n = 3269) and HPV Cobas 4800 (n = 13,342). Logistic regression models for diagnosing early cervical lesions of the three datasets were established and compared. The best variable factor combination (VL + BV) and dataset (HC2) were used for the establishment of six machine learning models. Models were evaluated and compared, and the best-performed model was validated.

Results

Our results show that viral load value was significantly correlated with cervical lesion stages in all three data sets. Viral Load and Bacterial Vaginosis were the best variable factor combination for logistic regression model establishment, and models based on the HC2 dataset performed best compared with the other two datasets. Machine learning method Xgboost generated the highest AUC value of models, which were 0.915, 0.9529, 0.9557, 0.9614 for diagnosing ASCUS higher, ASC-H higher, LSIL higher, and HSIL higher staged cervical lesions, indicating the acceptable accuracy of the selected diagnostic model.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates that HPV viral load and BV status were significantly associated with the early stages of cervical lesions. The best-performed models can serve as a useful tool to help diagnose cervical lesions early.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12985-022-01908-w.

Verification of the association of the cycle threshold (Ct) values from HPV testing on Cobas4800 with the histologic grades of cervical lesions using data from two population-based cervical cancer screening trials

Objective

To verify the association of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) viral load reflected by cycle threshold (Ct) values from HPV testing on Cobas4800 assay with the histologic grades of cervical lesions via analysis on the combined data from two cervical cancer screening trials and to explore the referability of Ct values in management of the abnormalities from cervical cancer primary screening.

Methods

We analyzed the data from Chinese Multi-Center Screening Trial (CHMUST) and BUJI Cervical Cancer Screening Study Project (BUJI Study). All data to be analyzed in this paper were related to provider-collected samples. One-way ANOVA was performed to compare the Ct values among different histological groups, and Kendall’s tau-b correlation was applied to examine the association between Ct values and cervical lesion grades. The stepwise incidence of CIN2+ and CIN3+ in every 100 HPV positive individuals were calculated according to the descending of the genotype specific Ct values. The highest Ct values related to CIN3+ incidence rate 4% (or 25%) were used as the cutoffs to distinguish low-Ct value cases from the high-Ct value ones.

Results

A total of 1376 women in CHUMUST and BUJI Study who were aged 30–59 and positive of hrHPV for provider-collected samples on Cobas4800 with complete data in terms of the relevant Ct values (CtV) and the histological diagnosis were included for analysis. Our data showed significant difference among different histological grades of cervical lesions in the CtV of hrHPV, HPV16-plus (positive of HPV16 only or HPV16 plus 18 and/or pooled 12-HPV), and pooled 12-HPV (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found among different grades of lesions in term of correlated CtV of HPV18-plus (positive of HPV18 only or HPV18 plus pooled 12-HPV) (P > 0.05). The CIN2+ or CIN3+ incidence per 100 positives significantly increased corresponding to the descending of the CtV of hrHPV, HPV16-plus and pooled 12-HPV. Compared with high-CtV groups (CtV > 33.2 for hrHPV, CtV > 29.6 for pooled 12-HPV), the relevant risks (RRs) of CIN2+ for hrHPV and pooled 12-HPV positive groups with low-CtV (CtV ≤ 33.2 and ≤ 29.6, respectively) were 3.2 (95%CI 2.18–4.80) and 2.3 (95%CI 1.50–3.45). Similarly, the RRs of CIN3+ for hrHPV and pooled 12-HPV positive groups with low-CtV were 6.5 (95%CI 2.83–14.80) and 2.7 (95%CI 1.15–6.39), respectively. The RRs of CIN2+ for medium- (30.3 < CtV ≤ 37.4) and low- (≤ 30.3) CtV HPV16-plus positives were 5.1 (95%CI 0.68–38.38) and 20.6 (95%CI 2.96–143.92) related to high-CtV (> 37.4) groups, and the CIN3+ incidence in low-CtV value group was nine-fold higher of that in medium-CtV ones [RRs, 9.0 (95%CI 2.89–28.10)]. In comparing with the algorithms of “HPV16-plus/18-plus + cytology ≥ ASCUS for pooled 12-HPV”, triage algorithm “HPV16-plus/18-plus + Ct value ≤ 33.2 for pooled 12-HPV” could achieve a comparable sensitivity of 93.2%.

Conclusion

HPV viral loads reflected by Ct values for hrHPV, HPV16-plus and pooled 12-HPV from Cobas4800 HPV testing were directly associated with the severity of cervical lesions. A lower HPV genotype-specific Ct value prompted a significantly high CIN3+ risk of 4% or higher in women positive of hrHPV, HPV16-plus or pooled 12-HPV, indicating that HPV viral load reflected by Ct values on Cobas4800 may be a promising risk indicator in management of abnormalities from primary cervical cancer screening.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13027-022-00440-4.

Association of Relative Telomere Length and Risk of High Human Papillomavirus Load in Cervical Epithelial Cells

Importunate high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection is the most common trigger for the cervical carcinogenesis process. In this respect, the presence of cancer can be imputed to telomere lengthening or shortening. This paper explores the possible correlation between relative telomere length and viral load in two groups of women, namely: those with high-risk HPV infection and those who do not have this infection. Thus, samples comprising of 50 women in each group were evaluated for this research. The Amplisens HPV HCR screen-titre-FRT PCR kite was employed for quantitative analysis. Relative telomere length was quantified by real-time PCR. In each of the two HPV load groups, there was no correlation between age and telomere length. Telomere shortening was found in the cervical cell samples of women with high HPV loads, compared with women in the control group. Telomere shortening is associated with elevated HPV loads.

Significance of the viral load of high-risk HPV in the diagnosis and prediction of cervical lesions: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

The significance of HPV viral load in the detection of cervical lesions is still controversial. This study analyzed the correlation between the high-risk HPV viral load and different cervical lesion degrees.

METHODS

This retrospective study included women positive for high-risk HPV DNA and screened for cervical lesions between 01/2015 and 06/2018. The high-risk HPV DNA load was measured by the second-generation Hybrid Capture technology and classified as low, moderate, and high. Colposcopy and biopsy were performed in all patients. The patients were grouped as normal, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 1, CIN grade 2, CIN grade 3, and cervical cancer. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to explore the association between high-risk HPV DNA load and cervical lesions. The odds ratios (ORs) represent the odds for increasing from low to high viral load.

RESULTS

Finally, 265 patients were grouped as normal (n = 125), CIN 1 (n = 51), CIN 2 (n = 23), CIN 3 (n = 46), and cervical cancer (n = 20). Among them, 139 (52.5%) had a low viral load, 90 (34.0) had a moderate viral load, and 36 (13.4%) had a high viral load. Taking the normal control group as a reference, a high viral load was an independent factor for CIN 1 (OR = 3.568, 95% CI: 1.164-10.941, P = 0.026), CIN 2 (OR = 6.939, 95% CI: 1.793-26.852, P = 0.005), CIN 3 (OR = 7.052, 95% CI: 2.304-21.586, P = 0.001), and cervical cancer (OR = 8.266, 95% CI: 2.120-32.233, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

Among women who underwent cervical biopsy, higher high-risk HPV viral load in cervical lesions was associated with a higher risk of high-grade cervical lesions.

Analysis of influencing factors of viral load in patients with high-risk human papillomavirus

Background

High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) load is thought to be influenced by many factors, and the relationship between viral load and the degree of cervical lesion is controversial. This study explored the possible influencing factors of HR-HPV viral load in the uterine cervix.

Methods

A total of 605 women who needed colposcopic evaluation for abnormal cervical screening at the Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, China, between November 2017 and September 2018 were enrolled. Cervical specimens were collected from the endo- and ectocervix separately using two different cervical brushes. The hybrid capture II test was used to measure HR-HPV load. Age, histological severity, number of viral types, and area and location of cervical lesions were recorded. The correlations between viral load and influencing factors were analysed using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

HR-HPV load was positively correlated with age, histological severity, multiple HPV types and area of cervical lesions (P < 0.05). Viral load with the combination of endo- and ectocervical sampling was significantly higher than simple endocervical sampling (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age, multiple HPV types and area of cervical lesions were independent factors for HR-HPV load with a combination of endo- and ectocervical sampling (P < 0.05). However, only age and area of cervical lesions were independent factors for viral load with simple endocervical sampling (P < 0.05). No significant association was found between viral load and lesion severity in multivariate analysis (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

HR-HPV load is influenced by age, histological severity, multiple viral types, area of cervical lesion and sampling methods. Age and area of cervical lesions are independent factors for viral load.

The effectiveness of human papillomavirus load, reflected by cycle threshold values, for the triage of HPV-positive self-samples in cervical cancer screening

OBJECTIVE

The performance of Cobas4800 cycle threshold value (Ct-value, reflecting viral load) combined with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 genotyping was explored as a method of risk stratification to triage patients after primary HPV screening of self-collected samples.

METHODS

The Chinese Multi-site Screening Trial database was reviewed, with focus on self-collected samples, using the results of Cobas4800 HPV assay. Quartiles of Ct-values of each genotype were used for grouping and developing screening algorithms. Diagnostic accuracy for paired comparisons between algorithms was obtained using McNemar's test.

RESULTS

A total of 10,498 women were included. The Ct-values of HPV16 and other high-risk HPV were inversely correlated with the severity of cervical lesions (p < 0.001). Risks for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+/CIN3+) were significantly stratified by Ct-values from channels detecting HPV16 and other high-risk HPV types. "HPV with HPV16/18 and reflex Ct <33.7" (algorithm G) achieved a favorable sensitivity to "HPV with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or worse (≥ASCUS)" (81.9% vs. 70.1% for CIN2+, p < 0.001), a comparable sensitivity to "HPV with HPV16/18 reflex cytology ≥ASCUS" (81.9% vs. 81.3% for CIN2+, p > 0.05), and resulted in a slightly lower specificity than the latter two algorithms (92.6% vs. 97.4% and 95.4% respectively for CIN2+, p < 0.05). However, algorithm G achieved a comparable sensitivity to HPV testing alone for CIN3+, and reduced the colposcopy referral rate from 13.7% for HPV testing alone to 8.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

HPV viral loads reflected by Ct-values are associated with the severity of cervical lesions. Ct-values with an appropriate cut-off of 33.7, combined with HPV16/18 genotyping, represent a promising triage of HPV-positive women particularly for self-collected samples.

The effectiveness of HPV viral load, reflected by Cobas 4800 HPV-Ct values for the triage of HPV-positive women in primary cervical cancer screening: Direct endocervical samples

Objective

To explore the relationship between the viral load reflected by the Ct value of Cobas 4800 HPV test and cervical lesions, and the effectiveness of the viral load for secondary triage of HPV-positive women.

Methods

The Chinese Multi-Center Screening Trial (CHIMUST) evaluated both self-collected samples and physician-collected samples from women, aged 30 to 59, who were screened for cervical cancer in 6 regions across China. Using physician collected samples, the relationship between the HPV-Ct values of different subtypes and the cervical lesions was analyzed. Then the combined use of the HPV-Ct values with the HPV subtypes was evaluated as a secondary screening algorithm for the women who were HPV positive.

Results

The Ct values of HPV16 and 12 other HPV subtypes(12-type pool), tested with Cobas decreased with the progression of cervical lesion (HPV16: r = -0.429, P<0.001; 12 other HR-HPV subtypes: r = -0.099, P<0.01). The HPV18-Ct value was not correlated with cervical lesion(P>0.05). Compared with HPV16/18 and cytology (HPV16/18 positive and 12-type pool plus cytology ≥ ASC-US), the sequential secondary screening using HPV16/18 and the viral load of 12-type pool (cut-point HPV-Ct≤31) had equal sensitivities for CIN2+ and CIN3+ (83.1%vs.80.3%,100%vs.92.6%,P>0.05), with slightly lower specificities (96.2%vs.94.4%,96.5%vs.93.9%,P<0.001) and higher colposcopy referral rate (4.90%vs.6.59%, P<0.05), but required no cytology.

Conclusion

Type-specific HPV viral load is closely related to cervical lesions severity. It is feasible and efficient to use HPV16/18 and the viral load of 12 other HPV subtypes (with cut-point HPV-Ct≤31) as the secondary screening for HPV positive women. This algorithm may be useful in low resource regions.

The application of BMRT-HPV viral load to secondary screening strategies for cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the significance of BMRT HPV assay viral load and its performance for secondary screening.

METHODS

BMRT-HPV reports type-specific viral loads/10,000 cells. We tested 1,495 physician collected, stored specimens from Chinese Multiple-center Screening Trial (CHIMUST), that were positive by Cobas, SeqHPV, and/or Cytology (≥LSIL); and 2,990 age matched, negatives in a nested case control study. We explored the relationship between BMRT HR-HPV viral load and cervical lesions, determined alternative CIN2+ cut-points by ROC curve, and evaluated BMRT HR-HPV for primary / secondary cervical cancer screening.

RESULTS

The viral loads of HPV16/18, 12 other subtypes HR-HPV and 14 HR-HPV were statistically different in all grades of cervical lesions (P<0.05, among which HPV16, 33 and 58 showed the strongest relationship (P<0.01). The viral load of HR-HPV also increased with the grade of cervical lesions (P<0.05). The sensitivity for CIN2+ and CIN3+ of BMRT was comparable to Cobas (92.6% vs 94.3%, 100% vs 100%, P>0.05), specificity was higher than Cobas (84.8% vs 83.3%, 83.5% vs 82.0%, P<0.001). When using HPV16/18 viral load(log cut-point ≥3.2929), plus the viral-load of 12 other subtypes (log cut-point ≥3.9625) as secondary triage, compared with Cobas HPV16/18+ plus cytology ≥ASC-US as triage, the sensitivities for CIN2+ and CIN3+ were similar (P>0.05). However, the BMRT HR-HPV viral load combined with subtypes did not require cytology.

CONCLUSION

BMRT is as sensitive as Cobas4800 for primary cervical cancer screening. BMRT HR-HPV viral load combined with subtypes can be used as a secondary strategy for cervical cancer screening, especially for areas with insufficient cytological resources.

HPV viral load in self-collected vaginal fluid samples as predictor for presence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

OBJECTIVE

This study was performed to evaluate the use of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) viral load in screening tests for cervical cancer to predict persistent infection and presence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+).

METHODS

We followed women between 30 and 60 years of age who performed self-sampling of vaginal fluid and subsequently a hrHPV test. Women who were hrHPV positive in their screening test repeated the hrHPV test 3-6 months later and were included in the present study.

RESULTS

Our results show that women with a persistent HPV16 infection had higher HPV viral load in their primary screening test than women with transient infections (p = 5.33e-03). This was also true for sum of viral load for all hrHPV types in the primary screening test (p = 3.88e-07). 48% of women with persistent HPV16 infection and CIN2+ had an increase in HPV16 titer in the follow-up test, as compared to only 20% of women with persistent infection but without CIN2+ lesions. For the sum of all hrHPV types, 41% of women with persistent infection and CIN2+ had an increase in titer as compared to 26% of women without CIN2 + .

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that hrHPV viral load in the primary screening HPV test is associated with the presence of CIN2+ and could be used in triaging hrHPV positive women for different follow-up strategies or recall times. Serial testing of hrHPV viral load has the potential to distinguish women with CIN2+ lesions from women with persistent infection but without CIN2+ lesions.

Role of HPV Genotype, Multiple Infections, and Viral Load on the Risk of High-Grade Cervical Neoplasia

BACKGROUND

Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing provides a much more sensitive method of detection for high-grade lesions than cytology, but specificity is low. Here, we explore the extent to which full HPV genotyping, viral load, and multiplicity of types can be used to improve specificity.

METHODS

A population-based sample of 47,120 women undergoing cervical screening was tested for 13 high-risk HPV genotypes. Positive predictive values (PPV) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or worse (CIN2+; N = 3,449) and CIN3 or worse (CIN3+; N = 1,475) over 3 years of follow-up were estimated for HPV genotype and viral load. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of CIN2+ or CIN3+ according to genotype, multiplicity of types, and viral load.

RESULTS

High-risk HPV was detected in 15.4% of women. A hierarchy of HPV genotypes based on sequentially maximizing PPVs for CIN3+ found HPV16>33>31 to be the most predictive, followed sequentially by HPV18>35>58>45>52>59>51>39>56>68. After adjusting for higher ranked genotypes, the inclusion of multiple HPV infections added little to risk prediction. High viral loads for HPV18, 35, 52, and 58 carried more risk than low viral loads for HPV16, 31, and 33. High viral load for HPV16 was significantly more associated with CIN3+ than low viral load.

CONCLUSIONS

HPV genotype and viral load, but not multiplicity of HPV infections, are important predictors of CIN2+ and CIN3+.

IMPACT

The ability to identify women at higher risk of CIN2+ and CIN3+ based on both HPV genotype and viral load could be important for individualizing triage plans, particularly as HPV becomes the primary screening test.

Evaluation of alternately combining HPV viral load and 16/18 genotyping in secondary screening algorithms

Background

Correlation with HPV viral load and worsening cervical lesions had been reported, but its potential for triage after primary HPV screening has not been adequately explored, especially when combined with HPV-16/18 genotyping.

Objective

To evaluate combinations of human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load and genotyping for HPV-16/18 as secondary screening strategies.

Methods

The Shenzhen Cervical Cancer Screening Trial Ⅱ (SHENCCAST Ⅱ) database was re-analyzed to explore new screening algorithms using the results of Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2), Mass Array Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass spectrometry System (MALDI-TOF-MS) and the ThinPrep cytologic test (TCT) obtained by endocervical sampling.

Results

Compared with the recommended screening strategy of genotyping HPV-16/18 plus reflex to cytology, using viral load (10 RLU/CO as threshold) plus reflex to cytology resulted in less cytology but had a significantly higher sensitivity for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2+ (CIN2+)/CIN3+ without considerable changes in specificity and referral rates. Both of the strategy of using viral load ≥10 RLU/CO as cut-point for immediate colposcopy followed by triage genotyping HPV-16/18 for the other positive (≥1<10 RLU/CO) and the strategy of referring HPV-16/18 positives for immediate colposcopy followed by triage viral load (10 RLU/CO as threshold) for non-HPV-16/18 positives had comparable screening efficacy with algorithims that contain cytology.

Conclusions

Primary HPV screening with triage of HPV-positive women by a combination of viral load and genotyping for HPV-16/18 provides good balance between sensitivity and specificity, the number of tests required, and referral rates.

Composite Analysis of the Virome and Bacteriome of HIV/HPV Co-Infected Women Reveals Proxies for Immunodeficiency

The human cervical microbiome is complex, and its role in health and disease has just begun to be elucidated. In this study, 57 cervical swab samples from 19 HIV/HPV co-infected women were analyzed for both virome and bacteriome composition. Virome analysis focused on circular DNA viruses through rolling circle amplification followed by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Data were assigned to virus families and genera, and HPV types were identified. NGS data of bacterial 16S from a subset of 24 samples were assigned to operational taxonomic units and classified according to vaginal microbiome community state types (CSTs). Four viral families were found: Papillomaviridae, Anelloviridae, Genomoviridae, and Herpesviridae. Papillomavirus reads were more abundant in women with premalignant cervical lesions, which were also strongly associated with multiple (≥3) high-risk HPV infection. Anellovirus read abundance was negatively correlated with host CD4+ T-cell counts. The bacteriome revealed the presence of CST III and CST IV, and women with ≥1% frequency of genomovirus or herpesvirus reads displayed an increased risk of carrying CST IV. By characterizing the composition of the cervical circular DNA viruses and the bacteriome of HIV/HPV co-infected women, we identified putative interactions between these two microorganism communities and their associations with patients’ clinical characteristics, notably immunodeficiency status.

Cervical Local Immune Response for High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection: Involvement With Cervical Mucus SLPI Proteins

Purpose:

To evaluate cervical mucus secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) concentrations in patients with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) 16 or 18 positive and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LGSIL) or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HGSIL).

Method:

Patients with HPV 16 or 18 positive from 30 to 45 years of age whose cervical cancer screening results reported cytologically LGSIL or HGSIL were included in the study. In the control group, we included participants in the same age with cytology negative and HPV-negative healthy women. All cytological LGSIL or HGSIL results were histopathologically confirmed with colposcopic biopsy specimens. Finally, the study consisted of a total of 3 groups each containing 25 participants as follows: (1) Pap smear and HPV-negative control group, (2) HPV 16 or HPV 18 and LGSIL-positive participants, and (3) HPV 16 or 18 and HGSIL-positive participants. Cervical mucus SLPI levels were analyzed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.

Results:

The mean cervical mucus SLPI levels were 32.94 ng/mL (range: 23-41.29 ng/mL) in the hrHPV + LGSIL group, 29.40 ng/mL (range: 21.03-38.95 ng/mL) in the hrHPV + HGSIL, and 18.75 ng/mL (range: 13.58-29.24 ng/mL) in the healthy control group. Cervical mucus SLPI levels were found to be significantly higher in the hrHPV + LGSIL and hrHPV + HGSIL groups compared to the control group (P < .001).

Conclusions:

The data from the present study indicate that SLPI seems to be one of the important immunomodulatory proteins that provide local immune response in cervical mucosa.

Evidence of No Association Between Human Papillomavirus and Breast Cancer

Background

Globally, breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women. Studies reported an increased risk of breast cancer among women with prior cervical dysplasia. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in breast cancer and explore if women with prior cervical neoplasia carry an increased risk of HPV-positive breast cancer compared to women without.

Methods

This case–control study identified 193 Danish women diagnosed with breast cancer (1998–2012) at Aarhus University Hospital or Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev. Cases were 93 women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) prior to breast cancer. Controls were 100 women without prior cervical dysplasia. HPV testing and genotyping were done using SPF₁₀ PCR-DEIA-LiPA₂₅ and an in-house semi-Q-PCR assay.

Results

Overall HPV prevalence in breast cancer for the assays was 1.55% (95% CI 0.32–4.48) and 0.52% (95% CI 0.01–2.85). There was no difference in HPV prevalence between cases and controls (2.15 vs. 1.00%, p = 0.61 and 1.08 vs. 0.00%, p = 0.48). HPV prevalence in CIN3+ was 94.62% (95% CI 0.88–0.98). Concordance between the assays was 98.60%.

Conclusion

HPV prevalence in breast cancer is very low suggesting no etiological correlation between HPV and breast cancer.

Human papillomavirus DNA detection in plasma and cervical samples of women with a recent history of low grade or precancerous cervical dysplasia

Circulating HPV DNA has been previously described in women with advanced stages of cervical cancer and has been suggested to be a prognostic marker of disease recurrences and metastases. Only a few studies have reported the presence of HPV DNA in bloodstream of patients with low grade or precancerous cervical lesions. This study aimed to define if HPV DNA could be detected in plasma samples of 120 women referred for a recent history of cervical dysplasia who presented with lesions ranging from High Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (H-SIL) to regressed normal cytology. HPV DNA detection was carried out in both plasma and cervical samples using type-specific real-time quantitative PCR assays identifying oncogenic HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 51 and 52.

Overall, 34.2% (41/120) of plasma samples were shown to be positive for HPV DNA detection; HPV 45 (46.3%), HPV-51 (29.6%), and HPV 16 (18.5%) were the most frequently identified genotypes. The rate of HPV detection in paired cervical and plasma samples increased with advancing disease stage, ranging from 15.4% in women with regressed lesions to 38.9% in women with HSIL; HPV 16 resulted the most common genotype identified in women found to be HPV DNA positive in both cervical and plasma samples. Moreover, HPV 16 showed the highest median viral load value in both cervical and plasma samples, with 48,313 copies/10⁴ cells and 1,099 copies/ml, respectively.

Results obtained in this study confirm that HPV DNA can be detected and quantified in plasma samples of women with asymptomatic cervical infection. Further knowledge on HPV dissemination through the blood stream of women with cervical lesions would be very important in better understanding the natural history of HPV infection as well as its potential role in other distant tumors.