Risk factors for relapse of HPV-induced lesions of the female genital tract - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Risk factors for relapse of HPV-induced lesions of the female genital tract |

Purpose: evaluation of the risk factors [lesion grade, seropositivity for type 1 acquired immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) and association with pregnancy ] for relapse of human papillomavirus (HPV) induced lesions of the female genital tract. Patients and Methods: seventy patients with a clinical, colposcopic and cytologic diagnosis of HPV infection were studied. Clinical follow-up lasted at least 6 months after the initial treatment, thus permitting the evaluation of the therapeutic results. Twenty-seven of these patients were pregnant and 12 were seropositive for HIV-1. The remaining 44 patients were not in the pregnancy-puerperium cycle and 14 of them were HIV-1 positive. According to cytologic criteria, the cervical lesions were classified as changes associated with HPV or grade I cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN I) (low grade lesions) or CIN II/III (high grade lesions). Data were analyzed statistically by the exact Fisher test, with the level of significance set at p<0.05. The therapeutic scheme for lesions limited to the uterine cervix was cryo- or electrocautery (EC), whereas topical 5-fluorouracil was used for the diffused lesions through the vaginal wall. For the lesions in the vulvoperineal region, 80% trichloroacetic acid was used, and when they were voluminous, EC was applied. Among the pregnant women, a cryocautery was used for lesions limited to the cervix and EC for diffuse lesions. Results: among the HIV-1-negative pregnant women there was an 87.5% rate of recurrence when the lesions were in the cervix-vagina, and no recurrence when the lesions were vulvoperineal. In contrast, seropositive pregnant women presented 100% recurrence regardless of the site of the lesion. Among nonpregnant HIV negative women, 20 and 24% recurrence was observed in the cervix-vagina and in the vulvoperineal region, respectively, as opposed to 87.5 and 100% recurrence, respectively, for the same regions among HIV positive women. The lesions associated with CIN showed a higher frequency of recurrence with increasing CIN grade and a synergistic effect with the association of HIV-1 and pregnancy. Conclusions: the recurrence rate for women treated for HPV-induced lesions is high and the association with pregnancy, HIV and increased grade of the intraepithelial lesions are synergistic factors in the determination of therapeutic failure. The site of implantation of HPV-induced lesions is of prognostic significance only when the infection is not associated with HIV.