title: Subclinical vulvar papillomavirus infection.
abstract: Eighty-eight cases of subclinical human papillomavirus (HPV) vulvar infection were detected in a consecutive colposcopic series of 968 women. Three patterns of acetowhite lesions had a 72% predictive value (88/122) for histologically assessed HPV. The prevalence of subclinical vulvar HPV in self-referred patients was 7.9% (73/918); it was 9% (88/968) in the overall series and significantly higher in younger patients (age less than 25 years: 21/106, or 19.8%) or in those with cervical HPV or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) (40/100, or 40%). Routine inspection of the vulva after acetic acid lavage in association with a Papanicolaou test might help identify Papanicolaou-test-negative patients at high risk of developing cervical HPV or CIN. Treatment with beta-interferon (2,000,000 IU daily intramuscularly for 10 days) was given to 30 consecutive patients, but the results were poor: regression was observed in only 2 cases.
authors.affiliation: Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica, Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cecchini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grazzini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iossa
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Taddei
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colafranceschi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scuderi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cianferoni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciatto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003127:Colposcopy; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D014845:Vulvar Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I