Clinical impact of age‑specific distribution of combination patterns of cytology and high‑risk HPV status on cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or more

To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to elucidate the significance of cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) status in different age groups for the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)2, CIN3 and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). There were 12 combinations based on cytology and hrHPV status [cytology: Atypical squamous cells (ASC) of undetermined significance, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, ASC not excluding high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and HSIL; hrHPV status: HPV16/18-positive (16/18+), hrHPV positive for subtypes other than 16/18 (others+) and hrHPV-negative (hrHPV-)]. All patients were categorized into four groups based on age (18–29, 30–39, 40–49 and ≥50 years). For patients with CIN2, CIN3 and SCC (CIN2+) (n=107), the distribution of cytology and hrHPV was investigated in each age group. In addition, for all patients (n=446), the occurrence of CIN2+ in each of the 12 combinations was investigated in each age group. In the 18–29-year age group, the most common combination was HSIL and 16/18+, followed by HSIL and others+, which accounted for 73% of CIN2+ cases. The occurrence of HSIL and 16/18+ decreased with increasing age, and no cases occurred in the 50-year age group. In the 18–29-year age group, all patients with HSIL and 16/18+ were diagnosed with CIN2+. CIN2+ was predominantly detected in patients with HSIL in the 18–29-year age group, as well as hrHPV- and others+. This definite distinction was not observed in any other age group. For CIN2+, the distribution patterns of cytology and hrHPV status combinations varied significantly among different age groups. Accordingly, the clinical impact of the combination of cytological findings and hrHPV status can vary among age groups.