cervical-cancer

HPV variants beyond HPV-16 and 18 are clinically important in Northeast India.

HPV genotyping of 429 cervical swabs from Northeast India found 17.25% positivity. Among positives, HPV-16 was 52.70%, HPV-59 was 13.51%, HPV-18 was 8.10%, and HPV-58 was 5.4%. HPV-58 positive women showed cytological abnormalities; one HPV-59 case had poorly differentiated malignancy. Standard…

Dan Manning

Dan Manning

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HPV variants beyond HPV-16 and 18 are clinically important in Northeast India.

HPV variants beyond HPV-16 and 18 are clinically important in Northeast India.

HPV genotyping of 429 cervical swabs from Northeast India found 17.25% positivity. Among positives, HPV-16 was 52.70%, HPV-59 was 13.51%, HPV-18 was 8.10%, and HPV-58 was 5.4%. HPV-58 positive women showed cytological abnormalities; one HPV-59 case had poorly differentiated malignancy. Standard HPV-16/18-focused screening may miss high-risk cases.

Key Findings

  • 17.25% HPV positivity rate in outpatient Northeast Indian women
  • HPV-59 (13.51%) and HPV-58 (5.4%) are clinically significant beyond HPV-16/18
  • HPV-58 positive women showed cytological abnormalities
  • One HPV-59 case had poorly differentiated malignancy
  • Regional genotype diversity challenges standard screening approaches

Implications

Expanded HPV genotyping beyond HPV-16/18 is needed for screening programs in Northeast India. Vaccine coverage against regionally prevalent genotypes should be evaluated.

Caveats

Single-center (n=429); cross-sectional; abstract-only. Outpatient sample may not represent general population.

Source: Journal of medical virology — 2026-04-01

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