Immune status does not predict high-risk HPV in anal condyloma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Immunology

Background:

• Anal condyloma is primarily caused by non-high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) strains.
• HPV serotyping is typically reserved for immunocompromised (IC) individuals.
• This study investigated if IC patients with anal condyloma have a higher risk of high-risk HPV and dysplasia compared to non-immunocompromised (NIC) patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the incidence of high-risk HPV and dysplasia in anal condyloma specimens between IC and NIC patients.
• To determine if immune status is a predictor of high-risk HPV or dysplasia in patients with anal condyloma.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of patients treated for anal condyloma between 2000 and 2012.
• HPV serotyping performed on all patient samples.
• Comparison of high-risk HPV and dysplasia prevalence between IC and NIC groups.

Main Results:

• High-risk HPV was detected in 14 specimens; 18.3% of cases had dysplasia.
• Invasive carcinoma was found in one IC patient.
• No significant difference in the prevalence of dysplasia or high-risk HPV was observed between IC and NIC groups. High-risk HPV independently predicted dysplasia (OR=5.2), but immune status did not predict high-risk HPV or dysplasia.

Conclusions:

• IC patients with anal condyloma did not exhibit a significantly higher risk of high-risk HPV or dysplasia in this cohort.
• HPV typing of all anal condyloma specimens, irrespective of immune status, is advisable.
• HPV typing may aid in predicting the risk of neoplastic transformation and identifying NIC patients at increased risk for anal intraepithelial neoplasia.