Clinical Outcomes and Risk Implications of HPV 31 Infection: A 10-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Oncology
• Virology

Background:

• Cervical cancer screening relies on cytology and HPV testing.
• Human papillomavirus type 31 (HPV 31) is a common high-risk HPV genotype.
• Understanding HPV 31's long-term clinical outcomes is crucial for risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of women with HPV 31 infection.
• To assess HPV 31's role in cervical cancer risk stratification.
• To compare outcomes based on HPV 31 infection status (isolated vs. co-infection).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 106,450 women screened for cervical cancer.
• Included 147 women with confirmed HPV 31 infection and complete follow-up.
• Compared clinical outcomes, cytology, and histopathology across HPV 31 infection groups.

Main Results:

• CIN2+ lesions detected in 10.2% of the cohort; 6.0% in isolated HPV 31, 44.4% in HPV 31/16/18 co-infection.
• 13.9% of cytology-negative women had CIN2+ on histopathology.
• Two invasive cancers occurred in women with isolated HPV 31 and negative cytology.

Conclusions:

• HPV 31 infection has measurable oncogenic potential, especially with HPV 16/18 co-infection or in cytology-negative cases.
• Genotype-specific risk stratification is supported by these findings.
• Further multicenter, prospective studies are needed to validate results.