Human papillomavirus—the most significant risk determinant of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Abstract

Sexual behavior has been consistently identified as a major risk factor for cervical cancer. Population‐based studies have demonstrated that risk related to sexual activity is mediated by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. We conducted a case‐control study of 199 cases with low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions as defined by cytology and 1000 control women selected from an ongoing prospective cohort study in Copenhagen, Denmark. Furthermore, 131 women with equivocal smears (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance) were examined as a separate borderline case group. At enrollment, all women had a personal interview and a gynecological examination including cervical swabs for HPV testing and a Pap smear. HPV testing was performed using a combination of general primer 5/6‐mediated and type‐specific polymerase‐chain‐reaction‐based methods. Cervical HPV infection was by far the most significant risk factor for cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions. The relationship with HPV was observed for all grades, while strength of association was greater for more severe lesions. The importance of the previously identified epidemiological risk factors for cervical neoplasia was also demonstrated. However, most of the effect of these factors could be explained by taking HPV infection into account, except for schooling and smoking. Non‐use of barrier contraceptives and smoking were the only significant risk factors in HPV‐positive women. In HPV‐negative women, a residual effect existed for different measures of sexual activity, and use of oral contraceptives and smoking constituted significant risk determinants. Overall, 66% of cases could be attributed to HPV; however, if the results were restricted to histologically confirmed high‐grade lesions, the proportion of cases that could be attributed to HPV infection increased to 80%.