Immediate histopathologic correlation in Turkish population with negative cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus positivity: A retrospective analysis of high-risk human papillomavirus genotype and stratified by age

Abstract

Introduction: According to the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) recommendations, regardless of age, women with high-risk infections other than human papillomavirus 16/18 positivity (other hrHPV) and negative cytology should not be referred directly to colposcopy. Several studies compared detection rates of >= high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) between HPV 16/18 +/- 45, and other hrHPV types on colposcopic biopsy. Methods: We designed a retrospective study to determine the presence of =HSIL in colposcopic biopsy in women with negative cytology and hrHPV positivity during the years 2016-2022. Results: HPV 16/18/45 had a PPV of 43.8%, while other hrHPV types had a PPV of 29.1% for a tissue diagnosis of >= HSIL. For a tissue diagnosis of =HSIL detection, there was no statistically significant difference between the PPV of other hrHPV and HPV 16/18/45 in patients >= 30. There were only two cases with a tissue diagnosis of >= HSIL in the other hrHPV group of women under 30 years of age. Conclusion: We suggested that the follow-up recommendations of ASCCP for patients above the age of 30 with negative cytology and other hrHPV positivity may not be fully applicable to countries like Turkey with a different healthcare environment. Referring to patients >= 30 who had other hrHPV positivity and negative cytology to direct colposcopy may be clinically beneficial, particularly in populations where a colposcopic examination is easy and inexpensive.