HPV types, HIV and invasive cervical carcinoma risk in Kampala, Uganda: a case-control study

For both squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma of the cervix, statistically significantly increased ORs were found among women infected with HPV, in particular single HPV infections, infections with HPV16-related types and high-risk HPV types, in particular HPV16, 18 and 45. For other HPV types the ORs for both SCC and adenocarcinoma were not statistically significantly elevated. HIV infection and CD4 count were not associated with SCC or adenocarcinoma risk in our study population. Among women infected with high-risk HPV types, no association between HIV and SCC emerged. However, an inverse association with adenocarcinoma was observed, while decrease in CD4 count was not associated with ICC risk.The ORs for SCC and adenocarcinoma were increased in women infected with HPV, in particular single HPV infections, infections with HPV16- and 18-related types, and high-risk HPV types, specifically HPV16, 18 and 45. HIV infection and CD4 count were not associated with SCC or adenocarcinoma risk, but among women infected with high-risk HPV types there was an inverse association between HIV infection and adenocarcinoma risk. These results suggest that HIV and CD4 count may have no role in the progression of cervical cancer.Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary cause for the development of cervical cancer, and the risk of cervical cancer differs [1] according to HPV type. HIV infection has also been associated with cervical cancer risk [2], which seems to vary according to co-infection with different HPV types [3,4]. The association between HIV and cervical cancer appears to be less evident in low-income countries, notably sub-Saharan Africa, than in high-income countries [5,6]. Two studies conducted at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in Uganda [7] and Tanzania [8], which assessed HIV infection and cervical cancer, showed no association. However, a positive association has been observed in Western countries such as Italy, France and Spain [5,9,10],