Prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes in women with cervical cancer in Papua New Guinea.

OBJECTIVE

Prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are currently not available in Papua New Guinea. Prior to introducing these vaccines, knowledge about the HPV genotypes present in cervical cancer in this region is necessary to determine whether the types covered by the 2 commercially licensed vaccines are the same as those in other regions of the world.

METHODS

Fresh, frozen cervical biopsies from 70 women with cervical cancer in Papua New Guinea were collected over a 3-year period from 2006-2009. HPV genotypes were detected using the Genera PapType assay.

RESULTS

Overall, 100% of the specimens were HPV DNA positive, with HPV types 16 and 18 being the most prevalent at 57.1% and 25.7% (95% CI, 0.45-0.68 and 0.17-0.37) respectively, followed by HPV 33 (10%; 95% CI, 0.05-0.19) and HPV 31 (4.3%; 95% CI, 0.01-0.12). Multiple genotypes were identified in 6 women (8.6%), with all biopsies containing HPV 16 and 1 other high-risk type.

CONCLUSION

The 2 most prevalent HPV types identified in women with cervical cancer in Papua New Guinea correspond to global data. This suggests that the currently available HPV vaccines could potentially reduce the burden of HPV-related cervical cancer in Papua New Guinea significantly.