title: Identification of human papillomavirus as a preventive strategy for cervical cancer in asymptomatic women in the Peruvian Andes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect the most prevalent human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in cervical smear samples of asymptomatic Peruvian women by analyzing the correlation between Papanicolaou (PAP)-stained cervical tests and PCR-sequencing.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 254 women attending routine gynecological examinations were included in this study. The samples were analyzed by PAP technique and examined under a microscope by a pathologist and classified by the Bethesda system. HPV amplification was done using the primers specific for E1 region and positive specimens were confirmed by direct sequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of HPV was investigated in 254 cervical scrape samples by PCR. PAP smear showed that 94.9% cases had normal morphology and 5.1% had an inflammatory pattern; 20.5% were found to be infected with HPV, comprising 20 different genotypes. HPV16 was the most prevalent genotype in correlation with changes in cervical cytology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest the HPV is very frequent even in women with negative PAP, and PCR seems to be the best option to determine the causative agent of HPV infection in endocervical samples. Identification of the HPV genotype in asymptomatic women may allow the implementation of appropriate prophylactic measures which may have a direct impact on the natural history of the disease and the subsequent development of cervical malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas-UPC, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Wilmer
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Silva-Caso
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, Lima, Peru; Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Cajamarca, Peru.
authors.forename: Miluska
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olivera-Irazábal
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Cajamarca, Peru; Liga de Lucha Contra el Cáncer-Cajamarca, Peru.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: León-Álvarez
authors.affiliation: Centre de Biotecnologia Molecular (CEBIM), Departament d'Enginyeria Química, ETSEIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) Barcelona Tech, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Del Valle
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Cajamarca, Peru; Liga de Lucha Contra el Cáncer-Cajamarca, Peru.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Díaz-Estacio
authors.affiliation: Fundación Clinic, IDIBAPS, Hospital Clinic i Provincial de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.affiliation: Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas-UPC, Lima, Peru. Electronic address: alejandro.bermudez@upc.edu.pe.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bermúdez-García
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas-UPC, Lima, Peru; Instituto de Investigación Nutricional, Lima, Peru. Electronic address: jdelvall@upc.edu.pe.
authors.forename: Juana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Del Valle Mendoza
keywords: Cervical cancer; HPV; Human papillomavirus; Papanicolaou