HPV prevalence and type distribution in women with or without cervical lesions in the Northeast region of Romania

Background: Cervical cancer is a major public health problem worldwide. While Romania has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in Europe, the prevalence of HPV has not been evaluated. We report the first data on HPV prevalence and type distribution in Northeast Romania. Methods: HPV prevalence and genotype distribution was investigated in 514 consecutively women with or without cervical lesions in Northeast Romania. Genotyping was performed with Linear Array Genotyping/Roche kit. Results: In our study group, 192/514 (37.4%) patients were positive for HPV (infected with single and with multiple HPV types). Most frequent types were: 16 (10.5%), 53 (5.44%), 51 (5.05%), 52 (4.08%) 18 (2.91%) and 31 (2.73%). Conclusions: Infection with high risk types of HPV is common in Northeast Romania. Enhanced and systematic screening for cervical cancer is needed. Our results call for the implementation of a National HPV vaccine program in Romania.