Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community

Introduction: Persistent infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main risk factor for cervical cancer. In Spain, the recent introduction of universal vaccination and organized population screening highlights the need for baseline pre-intervention data. The objective of this study is to desc...

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Authors: Cantó, JG, Teruel, AB, Isern, MAB
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2026
Country:España
Institution:Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)
Repository:r-FISABIO. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:r-fisabio___::b0d4c48d82eb6f42da190b045e3ba475
Online Access:https://fisabio.portalinvestigacion.com/publicaciones/21261
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Papillomavirus Infections
Uterine cervical neoplasms
Cytology
Mass screening
Vaccination
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spelling Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian CommunityCantó, JGTeruel, ABIsern, MABPapillomavirus InfectionsUterine cervical neoplasmsCytologyMass screeningVaccinationIntroduction: Persistent infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main risk factor for cervical cancer. In Spain, the recent introduction of universal vaccination and organized population screening highlights the need for baseline pre-intervention data. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of HPV infection and its association with cytological findings in women aged 25-65 years from a health department in the Valencian Community during 2012-2022, prior to the implementation of universal vaccination and organized screening. Methods: Retrospective, observational, descriptive study including 3,759 women with a single HPV test and Pap smear result. Age distribution, mono/polyinfection, high-risk and low-risk genotypes, number of detected types, and cytology according to the Bethesda system were analyzed. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were applied. Results: HPV was detected in 30.3% of women. Among HPV-positive cases, abnormal cytology accounted for 76% (ASCUS 57.1%, LSIL 15.6%, HSIL 3.4%). The most frequent genotypes were 16 (23.2%), 31 (13.7%), 53 (11.9%), 51 (10.2%) and 56 (9.3%). Polyinfections were more common among younger women (62.2%) and associated with LSIL, whereas monoinfections with HPV-16 in women over 30 years were linked to HSIL (61.0%). Notably, 15.6% of women with normal cytology harbored HPV infection, mainly with high-risk types. Conclusions: Before universal vaccination and organized screening, HPV prevalence was high, with distinct patterns according to age and infection type. These findings provide an essential baseline for future assessment of prevention strategies against cervical cancer in Spain.EDICIONES DOYMA S A2026info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttps://fisabio.portalinvestigacion.com/publicaciones/21261ENFERMEDADES INFECCIOSAS Y MICROBIOLOGIA CLINICAISSN: 0213005XISSNe: 15781852reponame:r-FISABIO. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científicainstname:Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)Españolinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:dnet:r-fisabio___::b0d4c48d82eb6f42da190b045e3ba4752026-06-11T12:45:17Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
title Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
spellingShingle Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
Cantó, JG
Papillomavirus Infections
Uterine cervical neoplasms
Cytology
Mass screening
Vaccination
title_short Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
title_full Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
title_fullStr Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
title_sort Prevalence and characteristics of HPV infection in the prevaccination and pre-screening era (2012-2022) in the Valencian Community
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Cantó, JG
Teruel, AB
Isern, MAB
author Cantó, JG
author_facet Cantó, JG
Teruel, AB
Isern, MAB
author_role author
author2 Teruel, AB
Isern, MAB
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Papillomavirus Infections
Uterine cervical neoplasms
Cytology
Mass screening
Vaccination
topic Papillomavirus Infections
Uterine cervical neoplasms
Cytology
Mass screening
Vaccination
description Introduction: Persistent infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the main risk factor for cervical cancer. In Spain, the recent introduction of universal vaccination and organized population screening highlights the need for baseline pre-intervention data. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of HPV infection and its association with cytological findings in women aged 25-65 years from a health department in the Valencian Community during 2012-2022, prior to the implementation of universal vaccination and organized screening. Methods: Retrospective, observational, descriptive study including 3,759 women with a single HPV test and Pap smear result. Age distribution, mono/polyinfection, high-risk and low-risk genotypes, number of detected types, and cytology according to the Bethesda system were analyzed. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were applied. Results: HPV was detected in 30.3% of women. Among HPV-positive cases, abnormal cytology accounted for 76% (ASCUS 57.1%, LSIL 15.6%, HSIL 3.4%). The most frequent genotypes were 16 (23.2%), 31 (13.7%), 53 (11.9%), 51 (10.2%) and 56 (9.3%). Polyinfections were more common among younger women (62.2%) and associated with LSIL, whereas monoinfections with HPV-16 in women over 30 years were linked to HSIL (61.0%). Notably, 15.6% of women with normal cytology harbored HPV infection, mainly with high-risk types. Conclusions: Before universal vaccination and organized screening, HPV prevalence was high, with distinct patterns according to age and infection type. These findings provide an essential baseline for future assessment of prevention strategies against cervical cancer in Spain.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://fisabio.portalinvestigacion.com/publicaciones/21261
url https://fisabio.portalinvestigacion.com/publicaciones/21261
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Español
language_invalid_str_mv Español
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDICIONES DOYMA S A
publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDICIONES DOYMA S A
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv ENFERMEDADES INFECCIOSAS Y MICROBIOLOGIA CLINICA
ISSN: 0213005X
ISSNe: 15781852
reponame:r-FISABIO. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica
instname:Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)
instname_str Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)
reponame_str r-FISABIO. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica
collection r-FISABIO. Repositorio Institucional de Producción Científica
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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