Human papillomavirus in female adolescents and young adults after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-Not a problem prior to coitarche.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the prevalence of HPV colonization in female adolescents and young adults after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

STUDY DESIGN

In this prospective pilot study, we enrolled 18 girls and young women aged 12-22 years cared for at the SCT (stem cell transplantation) Outpatient Clinic of the St. Anna children's hospital. Vaginal, buccal, and rectal HPV swabs were collected twice at intervals of 2-6 months at the Outpatient Clinic for children's and adolescents' gynecology of the University Clinic for Gynecology Vienna.

RESULTS

Overall, 3 (16.7%; 95% CL [≥0.0%; 33.9%]) of the 18 patients were vaginally HPV-positive at least at one timepoint. Among these three, two patients belonged to the smaller sub-group (3 patients) of patients after coitarche and one patient belonged to the larger one (15 patients) of patients prior to coitarche. In one of the three vaginally HPV-positive patients, we also found HPV DNA rectally. Orally, HPV DNA could not be detected at all.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the data of this study, vaginal, buccal, and rectal HPV colonization seems to be of little relevance in girls and young women after HSCT prior to coitarche. As expected, a higher risk for vaginal HPV colonization could be shown by trend for patients after coitarche, but also for those having been treated with total body irradiation as a conditioning regimen and for those showing signs of vaginal hypoestrogenization-which has not been published so far.