Objective: To estimate human papillomavirus (HPV) clearance of women with cervical abnormalities after treatment.
Methods: Women attending dysplasia clinics between 2001 and 2007 with a new diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia or persistent low-grade dysplasia requiring treatment by excision or laser ablation were invited to participate. Cervical cytology, histology of biopsies collected at colposcopy, and HPV DNA detection and genotyping of 37 HPV genotypes on specimens collected at treatment and subsequent routine visits were examined. A log-rank test was used to compare the survival distribution between groups.
Results: Of the 1,649 women eligible at treatment (baseline), 1,207 (73%) were included in the analysis; 96% (n=1,159) had three or more posttreatment visits. At baseline and the subsequent three follow-up visits, the prevalence of women with HPV DNA detected was 84%, 53% (on average, 6.3 months after baseline), 44% (on average, 15.7 months after baseline), and 45% (on average, 24.3 months after baseline). The median time to HPV clearance was approximately 6 months for either HPV 16 (n=387) or HPV 18 (n=96), irrespective of concurrent detection of other types. On average, HPV 16 or HPV 18 types cleared faster than other types (P<.001). This association remained significant after adjustment for age, preoperative histology, number of preoperative histology results, and treatment type.
Conclusion: Clearance times of HPV 16 and HPV 18 infections were similar to each another but shorter than other HPV types.
Level of evidence: III.