Current Status and Prospects of Diagnosis and Intervention for HR-HPV Persistent Infection

Abstract

Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is the core pathogenic factor of cervical cancer (CC). Although HPV vaccination is an effective primary prevention method for CC, the global vaccination rate is generally insufficient (target population vaccination rate in China < 5%), far from meeting the requirements for herd immunity (80%) and the WHO target (90%). However, only about 10% of HR-HPV infections progress to persistent infections. Therefore, identifying and intervening in the “HR-HPV persistent infection” population can systematically narrow the scope of prevention and control, reduce prevention and control costs, and provide a new path for low-income countries to explore suitable prevention and control models for CC. Based on this understanding, the team has pioneered a systematic method for identifying HR-HPV persistent infections and a tiered intervention system based on drug classification, which has achieved good results in both basic research and clinical observations. This article will summarize the current research status of “HR-HPV persistent infection” in relation to CIN and CC, as well as the team’s relevant concepts and research results, to provide a reference for the identification and intervention of “HR-HPV persistent infection.”