Detection of human papillomavirus de-oxy-ribose nucleic acid and its genotypes in cervical cancer patients: A step toward vaccine production

Background: India has a highest global burden of cervical cancer. Infection with a high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype has been identified as the most important etiologic risk factor for the development of cervical cancer. Aim: The aim of the study was to detect the genotype of high-risk HPV-de-oxy-ribose nucleic acid (DNA) in a patient suspected of cervical cancer and to study the epidemiological factors related to cervical cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The present prospective study was carried out from January 2013 to December 2013 in the molecular medicine laboratory located in our tertiary care super-specialty hospital. Fifty-two female patients who presented in the Gynecology and Oncology Outpatient Department with vaginal bleeding were included in the study. Followed by the detection of HPV genotype using specific markers, restriction fragment length polymorphism was done using different digestion enzymes. Results: Of the 52 cervical samples subjected to polymerase chain reaction for the detection of high-risk HPV-DNA, 44 (84.6%) samples tested positive, and 8 (15.3%) samples lacked the HPV-DNA. The overall distribution of the major HPV types was as follows: HPV16 (50%) was the most prevalent genotype, followed by HPV18 (15.3%). Other genotypes included 1.9% HPV33 and 1.9% HPV62 while infection with the mixed type (HPV16 and HPV18) was seen in 15.3% of patients. Conclusion: As we switch from cytology-based screening to HPV-based screening, genotyping could potentially provide information on individual risk stratification, therapeutic decisions, epidemiological studies, and vaccine development.