High-risk HPV genotype distribution and prevalence in cervical swabs from Western Turkey

This retrospective study analyzed HPV-DNA genotyping, cytological, and histopathological findings from cervical swab samples of women aged 18 and older who attended the Gynecology and Obstetrics outpatient clinic at Balıkesir University Health Practice and Research Hospital between October 2022 and March 2024. A total of 1,447 samples from women aged 19-82 were evaluated. High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA was detected in 144 cases (9.9 %), including 67 single-type and 77 multiple-type infections. The most frequent types were multiple infections without HPV16/18 (22.92 %) and HPV 16 only(18.75 %). The highest positivity rate (18.7 %) was observed in the 35-39 age group. Cytological abnormalities were found in 52 cases (38.30 %), including infection (24.11 %), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US, 23.07 %), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL, 5.77 %), atypical squamous cells-cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (ASCH), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), and atypical glandular cells (AGC), each at 1.92. Among HPV-positive patients who underwent biopsy, 6.25 % low-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (LSIL/CIN-I), 4.17 % high-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (HSIL/CIN-II) and 2.78 % HSIL/CIN-III. The results highlight the value of regional HPV genotype surveillance in guiding cervical cancer screening and vaccination strategies.