The Impact of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Vaccines on High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Clearance and Cervical Cytology in Patients Undergoing Cervical Excisional Procedures

Aim: This study aims to investigate the effects of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines on high-risk Human Papillomavirus (hr-HPV) clearance and cervical cytology results in patients undergoing cervical excisional procedures. Materials and Methods: A total of 686 patients were analyzed in the Gynecological Oncology Surgery Clinic between October 2020 and July 2022. Among these, 350 patients had not received the COVID-19 vaccine, and 336 had received it. Cervical cytology and hr-HPV DNA analysis were performed on the patients 6 months after the cervical excisional procedure. Clinical data, including patients' vaccination status, were obtained from the national electronic medical record database, patient files, and face-to-face inquiries. Results: There was no significant difference between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups in terms of age, parity, smoking, oral contraceptive use, cervical cytology, hr-HPV DNA status, cervical biopsy, endocervical curettage, type of excisional procedure, results of excisional procedure and endocervical curettage, and surgical margin status (p>0.05 for all comparisons). No significant difference was observed in the cervical cytology results 6 months post-procedure between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups (p=0.566, 95% CI=1.130-1.549). Similarly, no significant difference was found in hr-HPV DNA clearance between the two groups 6 months post-procedure (p=0.217, 95% CI=1.412-1.750). Conclusion: The systemic effects of COVID-19 vaccines are not fully understood. Our study is among the few that investigate the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on hr-HPV DNA clearance and cervical cytology results. Current literature, similar to our findings, does not demonstrate a significant effect of COVID-19 vaccination on hr-HPV clearance and cervical cytology results. Given the strong immunogenic response elicited by COVID-19 vaccination, the potential impact of this non-specific systemic inflammatory response on hr-HPV DNA clearance warrants further investigation. This study found no difference in cervical cytology and hr-HPV DNA persistence between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients 6 months post-cervical excisional procedure. However, comprehensive studies are needed for better interpretation and acceptance of these findings.