Comprehensive Analysis and Epidemiology of High-Risk HPV Genotypes in Suspected Cervical and Uterine Cancer Cases in Iranian Women Using Specific Hybridization: Implications for Policy Makers and Public Health

Background: Human papillomavirus viruses (HPV), most commonly transmitted through sexual contact with an infected individual, are the primary cause of cervical cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of high-risk and low-risk HPV types among Iranian women suspected of cervical cancer. Methods: Vaginal samples were collected by gynecologists in university hospitals in Tehran from June 2023 to January 2024 from women suspected of having cervical cancer. Viral DNA was extracted from the samples and analyzed using real-time PCR. Positive samples were further analyzed using manual specific hybridization technique to determine the HPV genotypes. Results: Out of 101 samples, 61 tested positive for HPV. The analysis of high-risk and low-risk HPV types revealed that 16.1% were high-risk (16, 18, and 52), 21% were low-risk (6, 11, and 62), and 9.7% had both low-risk and high-risk types. Additionally, other HPV types were detected in 53.2% of the positive samples. Among the 61 positive cases, one case had only type 16, four cases had type 52, thirteen cases had types 6, 11, and 52, nine cases had types 16, 18, and 52, five cases had types 6, 11, 62, 16, 18, and 52, and twenty-nine cases had other types. Conclusion: Although low-risk HPV types were more frequent than high-risk types, the overall prevalence of HPV infection in the studied population is significant. This underscores the necessity of implementing a screening program for women to detect HPV and reduce its transmission and the associated cancer risk.