Abstract
Objective : To determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection among healthy Japanese women, we examined HPV detection rates and genotypes at a single institution.
Study Design : A total of 320 healthy Japanese women aged ≥30 years with normal cervical cytological findings who visited our medical center for routine medical examinations between June 2010 and March 2013 were included in the study. Cervical scrape smears were obtained from the subjects by gynecologists for HPV genotyping using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cervical cytological diagnosis was performed by cytotechnologists and pathologists, in accordance with the Bethesda system.
Results : The overall HPV prevalence rate was 15.0% among women aged 30-89 years, and multiple-type HPV infections were observed in 10.4% of the women. The most common HPV genotypes among the HPV-positive women were as follows, in order of decreasing prevalence : HPV16 (39.6%), HPV56 (18.8%), HPV39/58 (10.4%), HPV51/52 (8.3%), HPV18/31 (6.3%), and HPV33/45 (2.1%). HPV35 was not detected in any of the subjects.
Conclusion : Infection with single or multiple HPV types may occur even in women aged ≥30 years with normal cytological findings. Cytological testing combined with HPV genotyping may be considered useful for primary cervical cancer screening.
