High‐risk human papillomavirus distribution according to human immunodeficiency virus status among women with cervical cancer in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, 2018 to 2020

Abstract

AbstractAs human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation and HPV‐based cervical cancer (CC) screening programmes expand across sub‐Saharan Africa, we investigated the potential impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status on high‐risk (HR)‐HPV distribution among women with CC in Côte d'Ivoire. From July 2018 to June 2020, paraffin‐embedded CC specimens diagnosed in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire were systematically collected and tested for HR‐HPV DNA. Type‐specific HR‐HPV prevalence was compared according to HIV status. Of the 170 CC specimens analysed (median age 52 years, interquartile range: [43.0‐60.0]), 43 (25.3%) were from women living with HIV (WLHIV) with a median CD4 count of 526 [373‐833] cells/mm3 and 86% were on antiretroviral therapy (ART). The overall HR‐HPV prevalence was 89.4% [95% CI: 84.7‐94.1]. All were single HR‐HPV infections with no differences according to HIV status (P = .8). Among HR‐HPV‐positive CC specimens, the most prevalent HR‐HPV types were HPV16 (57.2%), HPV18 (19.7%), HPV45 (8.6%) and HPV35 (4.6%), with no significant differences according to HIV status. Altogether, infection with HPV16/18 accounted for 71.1% [95% CI: 55.9‐86.2] of CC cases in WLHIV vs 78.9% [95% CI: 71.3‐86.5] in women without HIV (P = .3). The study confirms the major role of HPV16/18 in CC in Côte d'Ivoire and should support a regional scale‐up of HPV16/18 vaccination programmes regardless of HIV status. However, vaccines targeting additional HR‐HPV types, including HPV45 and HPV35, could further decrease future CC incidence in Côte d'Ivoire, both for WLHIV and women without HIV.