New cheaper human papilloma virus mass screening strategy reduces cervical cancer incidence in Changsha city:A clinical trial

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death in women worldwide,second only to breast cancer.Around 80%of women have been infected with human papillomavirus(HPV)in their lifetime.Early screening and treatment are effective means of preventing cervical cancer,but due to economic reasons,many parts of the world do not have free screening programs to protect women’s health.AIM To increase HPV cervical cancer screening in Changsha and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.METHODS Cervical cancer screening included gynecological examination,vaginal secretion examination and HPV high-risk typing testing.Cervical cytology examination(ThinPrep cytology test)was performed for individuals who test positive for HPV types other than 16 and 18.Vaginal colposcopy examination was performed for HPV16 and 18 positive individuals,as well as for those who were positive for ThinPrep cytology test.If the results of vaginal colposcopy examination were abnormal,histopathological examination was performed.We conducted a cost-benefit analysis after 4 years.RESULTS From 2019 to 2022,523437 women aged 35-64 years in Changsha city were screened and 73313 were positive,with a 14%positive rate.The detection rate of precancerous lesions of cervical cancer was 0.6%and the detection rate of cervical cancer was 0.037%.Among 311212 patients who underwent two cancers examinations,the incidence rate was reduced by more than half in the second examination.The average screening cost per woman was 120 RMB.The average cost of detecting early cases was 10619 RMB,with an early detection cost coefficient of 0.083.CONCLUSION Our screening strategy was effective and cost-effective,making it valuable for early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer.It is worth promoting in economically limited areas.

Expression and Significance of SHP-2 in Human Papillomavirus Infected Cervical Cancer

This study investigated the expression and prognostic value of SHP-2 in cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Forty-five specimens from patients with cervical cancer (stageⅠ-Ⅲ), 32 specimens from patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) (Ⅰ, Ⅱ) and 20 normal cervical samples from patients with hysteromyoma were collected in Department of Pathology for comparison. The expression levels of SHP-2 and IFN-β proteins were detected by using immunohistochemistry. The mRNA expression level of SHP-2 was detected by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HPVs were detected by HPV GenoArray Test. The Spearman correlation was used to compare the expression level of SHP-2 in HPV infected cervical cancer vs non-HPV infected normal cervix. The level of SHP-2 protein expression in the cancer tissues (88.8%) was significantly higher than in CIN tissues (62.5%) and normal cervixes (45%) (P<0.05 and P<0.05, respectively). The SHP-2 mRNA levels in the cancer tissues were upregulated as compared with those in the normal cervixes (P<0.05). Twenty-one (46.7%) cervical cancers, 25 (78.1%) CINs and 17 (85%) normal cervixes showed IFN-β positive staining in cytoplasm. There was statistically significant difference in the expression rate of IFN-β between cervical cancer and normal cervix (χ2=8.378, P<0.05) as well as between cervical cancer and CIN (χ2=7.695, P<0.05). HPV16/18 infections could be found in normal cervixs (15%), CINs (68.7%) and cervical cancers (84.4%). There was a correlation between HPV infection and SHP-2 expression in cervical cancer (rs=0.653, P<0.05). SHP-2 may be a useful prognostic and diagnostic indicator for HPV infected cervical cancer. In cervical cancers, SHP-2 mRNA and protein overexpression was associated with IFN-β lower-expression.

Human Papillomavirus 16E6 Oncogene Mutation in Cervical Cancer

Objective： Cervical cancer （CC） is the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide, after breast cancer. High-risk human papillomaviruses （HR-HPVs） are considered to be the major causes of cervical cancer. HPV16 is the most common type of HR-HPVs and HPV16 E6 gene is one of the major oncogenes. Specific mutations are considered as dangerous factors causing CC. This study was designed to find mutations of HPV16 E6 and the relationship between the mutations and the happening of CC. Methods： The tissue DNA was extracted from 15 biopsies of CC. Part of HPV16 E6 gene （nucleotide 201-523） was amplified by polymerase chain reaction （PCR） from the CC tissue DNA. The PCR fragments were sequenced and analyzed. Results： The result of PCR showed that the positive rate of HPV16 E6 was 93.33% （14/13）. After sequencing ana analyzing, in the 13 out of 14 PCR fragments, 4 maintained prototype （30.77%）, 8 had a same 350G mutation （61.54%）, and 1 had a 249G mutation （7.69%）. Conclusion： This study suggest that there is a high infection rate of HPV in cervical cancer and most of the HPV16 E6 gene has mutations. Those mutations may have an association with the development of cervical cancer.

Suppression of human papillomavirus type 16 E5 oncoprotein:A promising step in fostering the treatment of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a growing global disease in developing countries.Persistent infection with human papillomaviruses(HPV)is an essential causative agent in this type of cancer.Several studies demonstrate HPV E5 oncoprotein can impress the normal life cycle of HPV-infected cells by targeting some pivotal cellular signaling pathways,such as the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)signaling pathway.In this study,we used E5-siRNA to knockdown that essential oncogene and considered the effect of E5 silencing on proliferation,apoptosis,cell cycle,apoptosis-related gene expression,and the initiator of the EGFR signaling pathway in cervical cancer cells.The results demonstrate that E5 plays an essential role in the proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in cervical cancer.Furthermore,silencing E5 reduces proliferation,increases apoptosis,and elevates related-genes expression of these malignant cells.Overall,E5 suppression may be appropriate for ameliorating cervical cancer progression.

Health promotion and education proposal among Chinese female college students:eliminating cervical cancer is no longer a dream

Cervical cancer is a serious threat to women’s health.Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus(HPV)infection is a necessary factor for cervical cancer development and has become a serious public health threat to women.At present,young women have become a high-risk group for potential HPV infection.HPV vaccination is an effective method to prevent HPV infection and related diseases and is a primary preventive measure for HPV infection-related diseases.This study explores the influencing factors of female college students’willingness to receive HPV vaccination,their ability to understand college students’HPV awareness,their motivation for HPV vaccination,their behavioral skills related to HPV vaccination,their willingness to receive HPV vaccination and their vaccination rate.The aim of this study was to increase the HPV vaccination rate of Chinese female college students through health education programs and thus reduce the incidence of cervical cancer.

Risk assessment and triage strategy of cervical cancer primary screening on HPV integration status:5-year follow-up of a prospective cohort study

Objective:We investigated the relation between man papillomavirus(HPV)integration status and the immediate risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN),as well as the triage strategy based on HPV integration test.Methods:4086 women aged 20 to 65 years in China were enrolled in 2015 for a prospective,population-based,clinical observational study to evaluate the triage performance of HPV integration.Cervical exfoliated cells were collected for HPV testing and cytologic test.If high-risk HPV was positive,HPV integration test was performed at baseline,2-year and 5-year follow-up.Results:At baseline,HPV integration was positively correlated with the severity of cervical pathology,ranging from 5.0%(15/301)in normal diagnosis,6.9%(4/58)in CIN1,31.0%(9/29)in CIN2,70%(14/20)in CIN3,and 100%(2/2)in cervical cancer(P<0.001).Compared with cytology,HPV integration exhibits comparable sensitivity and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of CIN3+,higher specificity(92.8%[90.2%-95.4%]vs.75.5%[71.2%-79.8%],P<0.001)and higher positive predictive value(36.4%[22.1%-50.6%]vs.15.2%[8.5%-21.8%],P<0.001).HPV integration testing strategy yielded a significantly lower colposcopy referral rate than cytology strategy(10.7%[44/410]vs.27.3%[112/410],P<0.001).The HPV integration-negative group exhibited the lowest immediate risk for CIN3+(1.6%)and accounted for the largest proportion of the total population(89.3%),when compared with the normal cytology group(risk,1.7%;proportion,72.7%).Conclusion:As a key molecular basis for the development of cervical cancer,HPV integration might be a promising triage strategy for HPV-positive patients.

Evaluation of Awareness of Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Cancer among Female Undergraduates of a Private Mission University in Southwestern Nigeria

Background: Human papillomavirus infection is most prevalent in the younger population and causes cervical cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In 2018, cervical cancer was estimated to be 570,000 cases and 311,000 deaths;it ranked as the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women. Cervical cancer can be prevented through health education and vaccination against HPV. This study aimed at evaluating the level of awareness of human papillomavirus and cervical cancer among female undergraduate students of Babcock University, Ogun state of Nigeria. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study conducted among 310 female undergraduates of Babcock University in Nigeria from January to April 2019. The selection technique was a multistage random sampling method. The data collection was done using structured and self-administered questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistics for windows version 25 and were presented in summary charts and frequency tables. P-values less than or equal to 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Of 310 female students, 296 (95.5%) were aware of HPV infections. The majority, 215 (69.4%) of the students knew that HPV is sexually transmitted. There was poor knowledge of the risk factors of HPV infection. Only, 65 (21.0%) were aware that HPV infection causes cervical cancer. A few proportions of students 79 (25.4%) were aware of the HPV vaccine. Consequently, only 44 (14.2%) have received HPV vaccination and some complained about the cost as a significant reason for not being vaccinated against HPV infection. Conclusion: The level of awareness of HPV infection, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccine uptake was very low in this study. There is a need to improve health education and awareness campaigns among students about HPV infection, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccine uptake.

Smoking and genital human papilloma virus infection in women attending cervical cancer screening in Greece

AIM: To investigate whether smoking is associated with human papilloma virus(HPV) infection. METHODS: HPV infection is considered to be a neces-sary condition for cervical cancer development. The study population included 1291 women, aged 25-55 years, attending cervical cancer screening. All women had a Papanicolaou(Pap) test, with liquid-based cytology(Thinprep), an HPV-DNA test and an evaluation of smoking habits. The COBAS 4800 system was used for HPV-DNA testing, enabling identifi cation of the following high-risk HPV(hr HPV)-types: each of HPVs 16 and 18 separately, and HPVs 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 68 as a cocktail. The evaluation of smoking habits was assessed using the smoking intensity index(SII), a variable formed as the product of cigarettes consumed per day by the days(years × 365) that a woman was a smoker, divided by 1000. RESULTS: There were 136 smokers among 238 women tested positive for hr HPV-types(HPVs 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and/or 68), and 463 smokers among 1053 hr HPV-negative women(OR = 1.7, P < 0.001). This association was attributed to the youngest age group of women, aged 25-34 years(OR = 2.3, P < 0.001), while there was no association in other age groups. The intensity of smoking(increasing SII) showed no statistically signifi cant association with hr HPV infection. Cervical infection with HPV 16 and/or HPV 18 was also not associated with age or smoking habits. Finally, no association was found between Pap test status and smoking habits or smoking intensity. CONCLUSION: Smoking appears to be associated with hr HPV infection of the uterine cervix, particularly in younger women. Further studies should investigate whether this association is based on causality and evaluate the role of other possible co-factors.

Acceptability of self-collected human papillomavirus specimens in cervical cancer screening: A review

Cervical cancer morbidity and mortality is an important public health problem around the world. Some of the barriers to cervical cancer screening include the embar-rassment, discomfort, lack of privacy and time and cost associated with clinician-collected, clinic-based screen-ing with cytology or human papillomavirus tests. Self-collection of a human papillomavirus （HPV） test has been found to be generally more acceptable, less em-barrassing, more comfortable, more private and easy to do and preferred to pelvic examination for cervical cy-tology by many women worldwide. The most common-ly reported limitation to self-collection is a woman’s lack of confdence in her ability to perform it correctly. Self-collected human papillomavirus tests have been shown to be as or more sensitive than cytology or clinician-collected HPV tests. With confidence-building educa-tion about self-collection, it is likely a viable method to extend the reach of screening in high and low-resource areas around the world.

Human Papillomavirus—The Cause of Human Cervical Cancer

Objective: Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in females worldwide. Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is regarded as the main risk factor of cervical cancer. One objective of this study was to conduct a qualitative systematic review of some case-control studies and to examine the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of human cervical cancer (CC) beyond any reasonable doubt. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and re-analysis of some impressive key studies aimed to answer the following question. Is there a cause-effect relationship between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer? The method of the conditio sine qua non relationship was used to proof the hypothesis whether the presence of human papillomavirus guarantees the presence of cervical carcinoma. In other words, if human cervical cancer is present, then human papillomavirus is present too. The mathematical formula of the causal relationship k was used to proof the hypothesis, whether there is a cause-effect relationship between human papillomavirus and cervical carcinoma. Significance was indicated by a p-value of less than 0.05. Result: The studies analyzed (sample size N = 7657) were able to provide strict evidence that human papillomavirus is a necessary condition (a conditio sine qua non) of cervical carcinoma. Furthermore, the studies analyzed provide impressive evidence of a cause-effect relationship (k = +0.723669245, p value < 0.00001) between human papillomavirus and cervical carcinoma. Conclusion: Human papillomavirus is the cause of human cervical carcinoma.

Cervical Cancer Prevention Challenges and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening and HPV Vaccinations in Ukraine and Eastern Europe

Objectives: To identify the obstacles and issues that hinder effective cancer prevention efforts in Ukraine. The study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the barriers to cancer prevention, including both infrastructure and behavioral factors, and identify potential solutions to address these challenges. Study Design: Comprehensive literature review. Methods: The following databases were searched: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health). The keywords used in the search included “Cervical Cancer”, “Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (HPV)”, “Ukraine”, “Eastern Europe”, “Healthcare Infrastructure in Disasters”, “Cervical Cancer Prevention”, “Pap Smear”, and “HPV Testing”. Results: A total of 3500 articles were screened. A total of 65 articles met the inclusion criteria. Limited public awareness and limited access to vaccination and screening, combined with inadequate treatment facilities lead to higher rates of cervical cancer. The COVID pandemic, war with Russia, and the Chernobyl disaster are significant factors for the low level of vaccination in Ukraine. Conclusion: The prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in Ukraine face significant challenges due to the inadequate HPV vaccination rates and screening by cytology. Efforts to improve funding and increase education of both the population and health care providers are necessary to increase interventions such as HPV vaccination, cervical cytology, and HPV testing to reduce cervical cancer rates in Ukraine.

HPV16 E5 Peptide Vaccine in Treatment of Cervical Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo

Human papillomavirus （HPV）-induced cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. Despite the encouraging development of the preventive vaccine for HPV, a vaccine for both prevention and therapy or pre-cancerous lesions remains in high priority. Thus far, most of the HPV therapeutic vaccines are focused on HPV E6 and E7 oncogene. However these vaccines could not completely eradicate the lesions. Recently, HPV E5, which is considered as an oncogene, is getting more and more attention. In this study, we predicted the epitopes of HPV16 E5 by bioinformat- ics as candidate peptide, then, evaluated the efficacy and chose an effective one to do the further test. To evaluate the effect of vaccine, rTC-1 （TC-1 cells infected by rAAV-HPV16E5） served as cell tumor model and rTC-1 loading mice as an ectopic tumor model. We prepared vaccine by muscle injection. The vaccine effects were determined by evaluating the function of tumor-specific T cells by cell prolif- eration assay and ELISPOT, calculating the tumor volume in mice and estimating the survival time of mice. Our in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that injection of E5 peptide＋CpG resulted in strong cell-mediated immunity （CMI） and protected mice from tumor growth, meanwhile, prolonged the sur- vival time after tumor cell loading. This study provides new insights into HPV16 E5 as a possible target on the therapeutic strategies about cervical cancer.

Reconsidering Primary HPV Testing in Cervical Cancer Screening

Inappropriate testing for HPV types on healthy subjects increases costs without benefit and potentially results in overtreatment. HPV testing also has a negative psychosocial impact on women, increasing anxiety, stress, and concerns on sexual relationships. Giving the fact that HPV testing has been shown to have similar sensitivity but more overdiagnosis than cytology, and also giving the fact that false negative results may be higher than previously suspected, primary screening with HPV tests in European countries should be reconsidered. Resources saved in molecular testing may well be addressed in implementing vaccination strategies which are still underused, and may possibly include males as well as women.

Genetic susceptibility of cervical cancer

Epidemiological and laboratory-based studies have identified infection with one of 15 high-risk human papillo-mavirus （HPV） types as a necessary but not sufficient cause of cervical cancer. The prevalence of genital HPV in-fections is high in young women, but most of the infections regress without interventions. Host genetic variations in genes involved in immune response pathways may be related to HPV clearance, and HPV E6/E7 oncoproteins interacting or downstream genes, both coding and non-coding, may contribute to the outcome of high risk HPV infection and cervical cancer. Of specific interest for this review has been the selection of genetic variants in genes involved in the above-referred pathways with a summary of their applications in association studies. Because the supportive and opposing data have been reported in different populations, well-designed international collabora-tive studies need to be conducted to define the consistency of the associations, paving the way to better define the patients at high risk of developing cervical cancer.

Correlation between Load of HPV 16 DNA in Cervical Cancer and HPV 16 DNA in Lymph Nodes

OBJECTIVE To determine the association between viral loadof human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) DNA in the primary focusof cervical carcinoma and HPV16 DNA in pelvic lymph nodes.METHODS The HPV16 DNA load was measured by fluorescentquantitation polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) in 17 primaryfoci. HPV16 DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) using HPV16 type-specific primers in 296 pelvic lymphnodes which were from 17 cases of cervical cancer.RESULTS The viral load of HPV16 DNA showed statisticallysignificant differences between tumors with a diameter of < 4cm and ≥ 4 cm (P < 0.05). Seven of 17 cervical cancer cases hadHPV16 DNA positive lymph nodes, designated as the positivegroup, while the remaining 10 without positive lymph nodes wasdesignated the negative group. The average load of HPV16 DNAshowed no significant difference between the 2 groups (P > 0.05).The load of HPV16 in the primary lesion was not associated withthat in the lymph nodes. There were 38 HPV16 DNA positivenodes in the total 296 nodes. The rate of positivity of HPV16 DNAin lymph nodes showed statistically significant differences inconsideration of maximum tumor diameter, tumor differentiation,histologic type, depth of myometial infiltration and the metastaticstatus of the nodes, respectively (P < 0.05).CONCLUSION Viral load of HPV16 in the primary cancer focuscorrelated with the quantity of tumor cells in the primary focusbut not with the existence of HPV DNA positive lymph nodes.Detection of HPV DNA may help to find the early metastases thatcannot be evaluated histopathologically, but the prognostic valueof HPV positive lymph nodes needs further examination.

Well-Posedness and a Finite Difference Approximation for a Mathematical Model of HPV-Induced Cervical Cancer

We present a first-order finite difference scheme for approximating solutions of a mathematical model of cervical cancer induced by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which consists of four nonlinear partial differential equations and a nonlinear first-order ordinary differential equation. The scheme is analyzed and used to provide an existence-uniqueness result. Numerical simulations are performed in order to demonstrate the first-order rate of convergence. A sensitivity analysis was done in order to compare the effects of two drug types, those that increase the death rate of HPV-infected cells, and those that increase the death rate of the precancerous cell population. The model predicts that treatments that affect the precancerous cell population by directly increasing the corresponding death rate are far more effective than those that increase the death rate of HPV-infected cells.

Down-Modulation of Notch1 Expression in Cervical Cancer Is Associated with HPV-Induced Carcinogenesis

OBJECTIVE Notch1 signaling has been implicated intumorigenesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate theputative role of the Notch1 receptor in carcinogenesis and in theprogression of the cervical cancer. Since human papillomavirus(HPV) is a causative agent in cervical carcinoma, the interactionbetween Notch1 and HPV infection was examined.METHODS Forty cervical cancer samples and 30 normalcervical tissue specimens were examined using Western blot andRT-PCR to detect Notch1 protein and mRNA levels. HPV16 DNAwas examined in all samples using PCR.RESULTS The level of Notch1 protein expression wassignificantly lower in cervical cancer tissue than in normal tissue.Levels of Notch1 mRNA were found to be substantially downregulatedin cancer tissue. Notch1 protein expression levelswere significantly higher in carcinomas without HPV DNAthan that in carcinomas with HPV infection (55.5% vs. 3.3%, P <0.05). Down-modulation of Notch1 mRNA levels in carcinomawas demonstrated to be associated with HPVE6 transcription.Moreover, levels of Notch1 expression were shown to besignificantly higher in early stage disease than in advanced stagedisease (P = 0.001).CONCLUSION Down-modulation of Notch1 expressionprobably plays an important role in the late stages of HPVinducedcervical cancer.

Chibuike O Chigbu, MD, Series EditorTrends in cervical cancer screening in developing countries

Developing countries suffer the highest burden of cervical cancers but have the lowest resources. Effective cervical cytology screening programme, along with a network of diagnostic and therapeutic colposcopy centres, like developed countries, is almost impossible to be reproduced in developing countries. Visual inspection methods [e.g., Visual inspection with Lugol's iodine(VILI) and Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid(VIA)] which are cheaper, require less expertise and have the advantage of possible treatment in one setting have been shown to be effective alternatives. The sensitivity to detect CIN2+, by VIA and VILI, have been shown to be 80% and 91% respectively, with a specificity rate of 92% and 85% respectively. Screening by human papillomavirus(HPV) testing has high sensitivity(96.4%) but low specificity(94.1%) to detect CIN2+, when compared to Pap Smear(sensitivity, 55.4% and specificity, 96.8%). A single lifetime HPV testing in a large unscreened population has been shown to significantlyreduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality when compared to cervical cytology, VIA or no screening. HPV testing of self-collected vaginal specimens also helps to overcome religious and socio-cultural barriers towards pelvic examination amongst women in developing countries. Current HPV testing methods are expensive, skill/infrastructure demanding and takes time to produce results. A cheaper HPV test, called careH PV?, which is able to provide results within 2.5 h and requires minimal skill/infrastructure to operate, was designed for use in developing countries. One stop screen and treat facilities using VIA or rapid HPV testing, and cryotherapy, can overcome non-compliance to follow-up which is a major issue in developing countries. Cure rates of 81.4% for CIN1, 71.4% for CIN2 and 68.0% for CIN3 at 6 mo after treatment have been reported. Incorporating telemedicine with cervicography of VIA or VILI or even telecolposcopy, has great potential in cervical cancer screening, especially in countries with vast geographical areas.

Recurrence of Poorly Differenciated Cervical Cancer by Single Splenic Metastasis: Case Report and Literature Review

Background: The incidence of cervical cancer in Belgium is 11.1 per 100,000. With the introduction of cervical cytology screening and more recently anti-HPV vaccination, this rate has been decreasing for almost 20 years. Despite this, some patients are missed by the screening and prevention system and cervical cancer is still diagnosed at an advanced stage. Recurrences by splenic metastases are rare and are most often found at autopsy. Case Study: We describe the case of a 41-year-old caucasian patient with a single splenic recurrence after radiotherapy, chemotherapy, brachytherapy, and surgery for a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the cervix grade 3 at an initial stage IIB according to FIGO. This recurrence happens 3 years after the initial treatment. After monitoring this asymptomatic lesion, the size increase results in laparoscopic splenectomy. Histology demonstrates a splenic metastasis recurrence of adenocarcinoma of endocervical origin. Conclusion: The spleen is a rare metastatic site in cervical cancer. Splenectomy followed by chemotherapy is the therapy most often found in the literature, which is however poor in this regard.

Attitude to cervical cancer screening and sexual behaviour among HPV vaccinated young women—A qualitative pilot study

Objectives: To explore attitudes to cervical cancer screening and sexual behaviour among human papillomavirus (HPV)-vaccinated young women in southern Sweden. Methods: Sixteen women aged 17-26 years who had received the HPV vaccine were submitted to an individual semi-structured interview. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed qualitatively by means of latent content analysis. Results: The interviewees had a poor understanding of cervical cancer screening. After it was explained to them, they stated that they were willing to participate in the screening. The young women thought their future sexual behaviour would not be affected by the vaccination. They considered themselves to be more aware of it and less likely to engage in risky behaviour than their peers. They knew little about the relation among HPV, sexual transmission and cervical cancer, and they expressed a desire for more information. Conclusions: These young women who recently had been administered HPV vaccine had a limited understanding of the importance of participating in future cervical cancer screening. It is necessary that more and more appropriate information of cervical cancer screening be given on the occasion of the HPV vaccination.