Prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection and cytologic results in Thailand.

Cervical cancer is the second most common female cancer with a high mortality rate. The established cause is high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) and a new modality for cervical cancer screening is the combination of cervical cytology with HPV testing. The aim of present study was to identify the prevalence of high-risk HPV infection, and cervical cytological profiles of healthy Thai women. This largest cross-sectional investigation of HPV testing so far with cytology screening in Thailand was conducted between April 2009 and March 2010, covering a total of 14,747 women. The correlation between HPV viral load and cytology was also assessed. The mean age of the study group was 46.4 years (range 20-77 years) and the prevalence of high risk HPV infection was 8.23%. In positive women, negative cytology was observed in 72.9% , and cytology abnormalities in 27.1%, as compared to 1.57% in HPV negative women. The highest prevalence of HPV infection was identified in the youngest age group (≤30 years). The mean viral load was 6.06x105 (range 5,040.13 to 1.05x107) and HPV viral load titers were higher among in women with abnormal cytology.