Abstract B11: Prevalent high-risk HPV genotypes among Hispanic women along the Texas-Mexico border
Authors: Gutierrez Christina , Montealegre Jane R. , Fradkin Leonid , Scheurer Michael E. , Storthz Karen A. , Carrillo Thelma , Follen Michele , Mulla Zuber 
Published: October 2015

Introduction: There are 13 oncogenic (high-risk) types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that are causally associated with cervical cancer, specifically types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, 68. HPV 16 and 18 are causally related to 70% of cervical cancers and 50% of precancerous lesions worldwide and are the primary targets for the two commercially-available HPV vaccines. However, there is evidence that HPV 16 and 18 are detected in a significantly lower proportion of high-grade cervical lesions among Hispanic women when compared to non-Hispanic white women. The purpose of this study was to identify prevalent high-risk (HR) HPV genotypes among Hispanic women living along the Texas-Mexico border.

Methods: We analyzed data from a subset of participants of an ongoing clinical trial evaluating molecular imaging for the identification of cervical neoplasia. Trial participants included women with an abnormal Pap test presenting for colposcopy at an academic medical center in El Paso, Texas. Cervical samples were collected and tested for HPV using the Roche Linear Array HPV genotyping test, which identifies individual HPV genotypes. Histologic diagnoses are based on biopsies evaluated by a certified pathologist and represent the histology of the most severe biopsy. An interviewer- administered questionnaire was used to ascertain demographic characteristics and behavioral risk factors.

Results: To date, we have performed HPV genotyping for 57 participants. Of these, 53 (93%) were of Hispanic origin. Among Hispanic women, the median age was 32.3 years (range 21.1-64.5), 43% were born in Mexico, 26% were married or living as married, 55% had a high school education or less, 53% had an annual household income of less than $20,000, and 19% reported having received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. Eighty seven percent of women (n=46) were infected with HPV (49% with a single strain and 51% with multiple strains) and 66% (n = 35) were infected with HR-HPV (66% with a single strain and 34% with multiple strains). The most prevalent HR-HPV types were HPV 31 (present in 31% of HR-HPV positive samples), HPV 16 (29%), and HPV 33 (23%). Among women with CIN 2 and 3 (n=8), the most common HR-HPV types were HPV 16 (present in 5 of 8 CIN2/3 samples) and HPV 31 (in 3 of 8). HPV 33, 35, and 66 were each present in 2 of 8 CIN 2/3 samples.

Conclusion: HPV 16 was present in 29% of women who tested positive for HR-HPV and 63% of women with CIN 2/3. However, the most prevalent genotype in our sample was HPV 31 (present in 31% of women who tested positive for HR-HPV). This genotype was present in 38% of women with CIN2/3. HPV 18 was not present in any samples. Although limited by our small sample size, these preliminary data suggest that the distribution of HPV genotypes among Hispanic women along the Texas-Mexico border may be different from that of other populations and includes genotypes that are not targeted by the two commercially-available HPV vaccines.

Citation Format: Christina Gutierrez, Jane R. Montealegre, Leonid Fradkin, Michael E. Scheurer, Karen A. Storthz, Thelma Carrillo, Michele Follen, Zuber Mulla. Prevalent high-risk HPV genotypes among Hispanic women along the Texas-Mexico border. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B11.