Reproductive and sexual risk factors and human papilloma virus infection in cervical cancer among Hong Kong Chinese.

In this case-control study of cervical neoplasia in Hong Kong, 48 dysplasia and 68 cancer patients were matched with 116 surgical in-patient controls. The cases had an earlier age at first intercourse and more sex partners than the controls. The cases' husbands also had more sex partners and were less likely to use condoms regularly. In a multiple regression model the odds ratio were 6.0 (95% Confidence Interval 2.5-14.6) for the husband having more than one sex partner, 4.0 (1.5-10.7) for the woman having more than one sex partner, and 1.15 (1.05-1.28) per year younger for the woman's age at first intercourse. The odds ratio of 5.4 for women whose partners did not habitually use condoms was not significantly different from 1.0. In a sub-sample, 37% of cancer patients and 18% of dysplasia patients, but only 6% of gynaecological controls, showed a positive DNA hybridization to Human Papilloma Virus (Type 16). These findings suggest that cervical cancer and dysplasia are sexually transmitted in our population, with a possible viral aetiology.