Association between human papillomavirus DNA load and development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) viral load and risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. HPV viral load was tested by hybrid capture (HC) II method in 69 normal women, 202 with CIN, and 236 with squamous cervical cancer (SCC). A significant difference in viral load was found between CIN I and CIN II + III. The risk of developing CIN and SCC estimated by OR (odds ratio) increased with elevated viral load (medium viral load: 13.6 for CIN and 54.6 for SCC, high viral load: 10.8 for CIN and 34.8 for SCC, respectively), with correspondent ORs (medium viral load: 11.3 for CIN and 69.4 for SCC, high viral load: 9.8 for CIN and 39.9 for SCC, respectively) after adjusted cofactors such as age, pregnancy, and so on. Hence, HPV viral load detected by HC II might be a useful predictor for women with high risk of development of CIN and cervical cancer.