Factors associated to the human papillomavirus in women with cervical cancer

Objective: to analyze the factors associated with the human papillomavirus as related to cervical cancer. Methods: cross-sectional study carried out using secondary data from 75 medical records. The chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests were used, considering papillomavirus infections as an outcome. Odds ratio were used to measure the effect, and the level of significance adopted was 5%. Results: the characteristics associated to the infection by the papillomavirus were: being 24 years old or younger (odds ratio=19.11; p=0.001), having finished high school or higher education (odds ratio=4.06; p=0.031), having multiple sex partners (odds ratio=5.50; p=0.028), and having not gone through menopause (p=0.009). Conclusion: sexual behavior and socioeconomic issues are related to cervical cancer as associated with the papillomavirus infection. Descriptors: Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Risk Factors; Papillomavirus Infections. RESUMO Objetivo: analisar os fatores associados ao papilomavírus humano com o câncer de colo uterino. Métodos: estudo transversal, por meio de dados secundários de 75 prontuários. Realizaram-se os testes qui-quadrado e exato de Fisher, considerando a infecção pelo papilomavírus como desfecho, sendo empregado odds ratio como medida de efeito, e adotado nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: idade até 24 anos (odds ratio=19,11; p=0,001), ter concluído o ensino médio ou nível superior (odds ratio=4,06; p=0,031), possuir múltiplos parceiros sexuais (odds ratio=5,50; p=0,028) e não ter vivenciado a menopausa (p=0,009) foram características associadas com a infecção pelo papilomavírus. Conclusão: comportamento sexual e questões socioeconômicas estão relacionadas ao câncer de colo de útero associado à infecção pelo papilomavírus. Descritores: Neoplasias do Colo do Útero; Fatores de Risco; Infecções por Papillomavirus. 1Hospital Santa Rita de Cássia. Vitória, ES, Brazil. 2Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. Vitória, ES, Brazil. 3Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. São Mateus, ES, Brazil. Corresponding author: Marcos Vinícius Ferreira dos Santos Rua dos Navegantes, 101. Apto 303 – Bloco C, CEP: 29032-290. Santo André, Vitória, ES, Brazil. E-mail: mvsantos@hotmail.com Daiany Helena Stein Guedes1 Bruno Henrique Fiorin2 Marcos Vinícius Ferreira dos Santos3 Katia Cirlene Gomes Viana1 Flávia Batista Portugal2 Renan Alves Silva3 How to cite this article: Guedes DHS, Fiorin BH, Santos MVF, Viana KCG, Portugal FB, Silva RA. Factors associated to the human papillomavirus in women with cervical cancer. Rev Rene. 2020;21:e43681. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.20202143681 EDITOR IN CHIEF: Ana Fatima Carvalho Fernandes ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Francisca Diana da Silva Negreiros Guedes DHS, Fiorin BH, Santos MVF, Viana KCG, Portugal FB, Silva RA Rev Rene. 2020;21:e43681. 2 Introduction Throughout the world, cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of neoplasm in women. There are approximately 530 thousand new cases and 265 thousand deaths a year, meaning it is the fourth cancer with the highest death toll in the female population. As such, it became a relevant public health issue, especially in underdeveloped regions, in which 70.0% of the cases are diagnosed. Data documented by the National Institute of Cancer highlighted the diminution of the incidence of cervical cancer in countries that are going through socioeconomic transitions, due to the implementation of preventive programs(1). In Brazil, as a final estimate for each year from 2020 to 2022, 16,590 new cases of cervical cancer were expected, with an estimated risk of 15.43 per 100 thousand women, which would make it the third most incident type of cancer estimated for 2020, following breast cancer and nonmelanoma skin cancer. The Southeast region is fifth, with an estimate of 12.01 new cases for every 100 thousand women. In the Espírito Santo state, the incidence is 16.05 new cases per 100 thousand residents, while the incidence in the capital of the same state is 12.05 per 100 thousand residents, leading to an estimate of 300 new cases in the state(1). The human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for 99.0% of cervical cancer and is active in 50.0% of sexually active women(2-3). The World Health Organization understands that the HPV infection is responsible for cervical cancer, but not for the progression of the disease(4). As a result, it points to the association it has with other risk factors, such as an early start of sexual activities, high parity, multiple sex partners, in addition to smoking, low socioeconomic conditions, and prolonged use of oral contraceptives(2-3,5). The incidence of cervical cancer is at its highest in women from 40 to 60 years old and at its lowest in those below 30, due to the long time the HPV infection takes to progress until the emergence of the cancer(6). However, a change in this profile has been standing out, as lesions that precede this emergence have been detected in younger women who started their sex lives earlier, in association with other risk factors(7-8). The disparity in the current economic, social, cultural, and geographic profiles is associated with a diminution in the incidence of new cervical cancer cases, which is the main motivation for this research(1,4-5). Therefore, although, with regard to regional incidence, the Southeast is the fifth region and Espírito Santo is the fourth state with the highest ones, this study is relevant due to the scarce scientific productions about the epidemiological reality of the state, which can present relations between sociodemographic and clinical variables in cases of cervical cancer from papillomavirus. As a result, the objective of this investigation is to analyze the factors associated with the human papillomavirus as related to cervical cancer.