Age-specific prevalence of human papillomavirus and abnormal cytology at baseline in a diverse statewide prospective cohort of individuals undergoing cervical cancer screening in Mississippi.

BACKGROUND: Mississippi (MS) has among the highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality in the United States, with disproportionately higher rates among Blacks compared to Whites. Here, we evaluate the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and abnormal cytology in a representative baseline sample from a diverse statewide cohort of individuals attending cervical screening in MS from the STRIDES Study (STudying Risk to Improve DisparitiES in cervical cancer). METHODS: We included individuals aged 21-65 years undergoing screening at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) from May to November 2018. We calculated age-specific HPV prevalence, overall and by partial HPV16/18 genotyping, and abnormal cytology by race. RESULTS: A total of 6871 individuals (mean age 35.7 years) were included. HPV prevalence was 25.6% and higher in Blacks (28.0%) compared to Whites (22.4%). HPV prevalence was significantly higher in Blacks aged 21-24 years (50.2%) and 30-34 years (30.2%) compared to Whites in the same age groups (32.1% and 20.7%; p < 0.0001, respectively). The prevalence of high-grade cytologic abnormalities, a cytologic sign of cervical precancer, peaked earlier in Blacks (ages 25-29) compared to Whites (35-39). For comparison, we also analyzed HPV prevalence data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2013-2016) and observed similar racial differences in HPV prevalence among women aged 21-24 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that Blacks undergoing cervical cancer screening in MS have higher prevalence of other high-risk 12 HPV types at younger ages and experience an earlier peak of high-grade cytologic abnormalities compared to Whites.

STRIDES - STudying Risk to Improve DisparitiES in Cervical Cancer in Mississippi - Design and baseline results of a Statewide Cohort Study.

Cervical cancer rates in Mississippi are disproportionately high, particularly among Black individuals; yet, research in this population is lacking. We designed a statewide, racially diverse cohort of individuals undergoing cervical screening in Mississippi. Here, we report the baseline findings from this study. We included individuals aged 21 years and older undergoing cervical screening with cytology or cytology-human papillomavirus (HPV) co-testing at the Mississippi State Health Department (MSDH) and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) (December 2017-May 2020). We collected discarded cytology specimens for future biomarker testing. Demographics and clinical results were abstracted from electronic medical records and evaluated using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. A total of 24,796 individuals were included, with a median age of 34.8 years. The distribution of race in our cohort was 60.2% Black, 26.4% White, 7.5% other, and 5.9% missing. Approximately 15% had abnormal cytology and, among those who underwent co-testing at MSDH (n = 6,377), HPV positivity was 17.4% and did not vary significantly by race. Among HPV positives, Black individuals were significantly less likely to be HPV16/18 positive and more likely to be positive for other high-risk 12 HPV types compared to White individuals (20.5% vs. 27.9%, and 79.5% and 72.1%, respectively, p = 0.011). Our statewide cohort represents one of the largest racially diverse studies of cervical screening in the U.S. We show a high burden of abnormal cytology and HPV positivity, with significant racial differences in HPV genotype prevalence. Future studies will evaluate cervical precancer risk, HPV genotyping, and novel biomarkers in this population.