Determination of Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of High‐Risk Human Papillomavirus in Varamin (Iran)

ABSTRACT Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of female malignancy worldwide. Although appropriate algorithms are available for precise HPV testing in order to manage women with abnormal Papanicolaou smears, region‐to‐region adoption is really critical. The present study aimed at cervical cell cytology assessment as well as HPV genotyping in cervical specimens. A total of 1047 samples of the women who attended for the routine referral indications were examined in four laboratories in Varamin City (Tehran Province) from April 2021 to May 2022. Genetic analysis of cervical cells was performed by PCR and reverse dot blotting. A total of 994 samples were also investigated with Pap staining, and analysis was performed based on the Bethesda 2014 system. Among the total participants with a mean age of 34.2 years, HPV prevalence was detected in 40.12%. The highest HPV infection was determined inthe 31–40‐year‐old population. Furthermore, 22.15% of the detected HPVs belonged to high‐risk genotypes. The most frequent high‐risk HPV genotype was HPV‐16, accounting for 6.78%. In addition, 951 (95.67%) women had normal NILM cytology test results, whereas 43 (4.32%) demonstrated ASC‐US lesions. HPV‐16 was the most prevalent type in ASC‐US lesions. Furthermore, there was a significant association between the high‐risk HPVs and changes in the Pap smear results ( p < 0.001). Considering the high prevalence of high‐risk HPV genotypes in the studied population, the genotyping technique is recommended as a priority to determine potential HPV infection, rather than liquid Pap smear analysis as a complementary approach to liquid Pap smear analysis to enhance cervical cancer screening strategies. The findings of this study can contribute to policymaking by providing updated local data on HPV prevalence, which may support vaccination strategies and screening programs in Iran.