Implementation Strategies to Enhance Confidence in a Whole Team Approach to Human PapillomavirusVaccine Communication in Pediatric Care.

Associations of adverse childhood experiences, sexual identity and sexual risk indicators with HPV vaccination uptake in Denmark - A nationwide epidemiological study.

Evidence for triaging HPV-positive women using viral load: data from two large cohort-screening projects in different regions of China.

Human papillomavirus vaccine uptake among adolescent girls living with HIV in Côte d'Ivoire: A national cross-sectional survey.

More than 740 000 people identified as female at intake were incarcerated globally as of 2022, reflecting a 60% global increase since the year 2000, with a concomitant increase in gynecologic conditions experienced behind bars. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the breadth of benign and malignant gynecologic conditions experienced during incarceration, including the prevalence, special management considerations, access to services, and the patient experience. The search strategy included a combination of keywords and subject headings for incarceration and benign or malignant gynecologic conditions with no language or date limits. Studies were eligible for the review if they: (i) discussed a benign or malignant gynecologic condition; (ii) included a population of people experiencing incarceration; and (iii) answered one or more of the four key questions identified prior to the search. One researcher independently screened each reference title and abstract for eligibility, and two reviewers independently screened each full text reference. One researcher extracted data from each study using a data extraction template, with verification and consensus by the primary and senior investigators. After screening, 135 studies corresponding to 137 reports from 38 countries were included in the review. Included studies focused on cervical dysplasia and human papilloma virus (56), normal menstruation (38), vaginitis (36), routine gynecologic care (23), abnormal bleeding (17), pelvic pain (13), menopause (8), urinary incontinence (7), and gynecologic malignancy (5) during incarceration. The included studies demonstrate that across the globe, gynecologic conditions in carceral settings are common and can be exacerbated by the physical and emotional stress of incarceration, trauma histories, lack of access to care, and conditions of confinement in these settings. Gaps in the published literature exist on health education and interventions to address gynecologic health disparities and the gynecologic health needs of aging and older adults. There is a pressing need for parallel efforts at global de-carceration and policy interventions to provide for basic gynecologic needs, decrease intersectional stigma, and improve the conditions of confinement.

Cobalt-ferrocene MOF-based colorimetric biosensing platform for naked-eye detection of human papillomavirus.

Design and development of a diagnostic method for HPV-16 virus with nanoball DNA based on vertical flow assay.

From heterogeneity to molecular stratification: A multiplex genomic panel for tailored therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Immune-priming mechanisms of photodynamic therapy in cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and translational implications for ovarian near-infrared photoimmunotherapy.

High throughput HPV genotyping by next generation sequencing for detection of 28 HPV types and 13 sexually transmitted infections: A first community-based cervical cancer screening study from India.

Efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy mediatied by 5-aminolevulinic acid for the treatment of cervical in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions combined with high-risk human papillomavirus in patients of childbearing age: A retrospective analysis.

Human papillomavirus circulating free DNA (HPV cfDNA) is an emerging biomarker with potential utility in the detection and treatment monitoring of cervical cancer. To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic performance of HPV cfDNA in cervical cancer. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Embase through April 2025. Eligible studies reported or allowed calculation of diagnostic performance of HPV cfDNA in HPV-positive cervical cancer patients and/or included serial HPV cfDNA testing during post-treatment follow-up. Meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I² statistic. The review followed PRISMA guidelines, and study quality was assessed using QUADAS-2. Of 106 studies screened, 20 met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies contributed to the diagnostic meta-analysis and six to the prognostic analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of HPV cfDNA for cervical cancer detection were 0.47 (95 % CI, 0.43-0.52) and 0.96 (95 % CI, 0.92-0.98), respectively. Positive and negative likelihood ratios were 10.49 and 0.28, with a diagnostic odds ratio of 71.31. The area under the SROC curve was 0.9825, indicating excellent overall diagnostic performance. Prognostically, HPV cfDNA positivity at 3 months post-treatment was significantly associated with reduced progression-free survival (HR = 8.50; 95 % CI, 4.69-15.41; I² = 0 %). HPV cfDNA shows high specificity and strong prognostic value, supporting its clinical utility in cervical cancer detection and treatment surveillance.

Vulvar high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (vHSIL) is a premalignant condition caused by persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), with approximately 10% of cases progressing to vulvar carcinoma within ten years. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of surgical excision, CO2 laser ablation, and imiquimod cream in terms of complete response (CR) and recurrence rates. A systematic review was performed following PRISMA guidelines, with literature searches conducted in Medline, Embase, and Web of Science (PROSPERO: CRD42024578702). Eligible studies included adult women (≥18years) with histopathologically confirmed vHSIL requiring treatment. Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction, and risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tools. Due to substantial study heterogeneity, a formal meta-analysis was not performed. Instead, pooled CR and recurrence rates were calculated using weighted averages, with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistic and Chi2 test. 26 studies involving 1,705 patients were included. Pooled CR rates ranged from 55 to 100% for excision, 44-85% for CO2 laser, and 25-81% for imiquimod. Recurrence rates varied from 0 to 83%, with the lowest recurrence observed in HPV-negative patients treated with imiquimod. Excision resulted in rapid CR but had high recurrence rates, particularly with positive surgical margins. Imiquimod caused local adverse effects (burning, erythema, irritation), but preserved anatomy, as did CO2 laser ablation, which lacked histological control. No single treatment modality proved superior, with all showing high recurrence rates. These results emphasize the importance of individualized treatment strategies and further research to reduce recurrence.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is a malignancy that originates in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina, and is caused primarily by high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, with approximately 660,000 new cases and about 350,000 deaths reported in 2022. This study aimed to assess the facilitators and barriers influencing the utilization of cervical cancer health services among childbearing women aged 15-49 in Lusaka District of Zambia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was utilized to investigate the facilitators and barriers that influence the utilization of cervical cancer health services among women of reproductive age. Ethical approval was sought and obtained from Lusaka Apex Medical University Biomedical Research Ethics Committee IRB number 00799-24. Results: The study disclosed that a large proportion of respondents were Christians (83.8%) and were not employed (45.8%). Research revealed that while 51.4% of respondents have heard about cervical cancer, a significant majority of them (67.6%) are still unaware of risk factors, endorsed frequency (73.2%) and acceptable methods (64.8%) of cervical cancer screening and the importance of early cervical cancer detection and management (73.2%). The study further disclosed that, while 64.8% of women have been encouraged by healthcare professionals, and the convenience of multiple healthcare facilities (64.8%) across the district, a significant proportion of respondents (84.5%) do not attend educational awareness campaigns on cervical cancer. Not only that, the study also disclosed that, many study participants (67.6%) are still unaware of government initiatives about cervical cancer. The study also revealed that, 64.8% of study participants have never received information about cervical cancer health services through community awareness campaigns in Lusaka District. Age, marital status, social class, religion, level of education, occupation and number of children were found to have statistically significant association with respondents’ level of awareness of cervical cancer (P < 0.05). The study also found that, most of the study participants’ significant challenges faced when accessing and utilizing cervical cancer health services include transportation issues and lack of privacy, each affecting 90.3% of study participants, and financial constraints impacting 67.9% of respondents. The study further uncovered that, 67.6% of women feel that the distance to healthcare facilities is another major obstacle to cervical cancer services accessibility and utilization. The study also disclosed that 64.8% of respondents are still unaware of available free cervical cancer health services due to lack of availability of health information and education among women of reproductive age. The study further disclosed that, most of the respondents (73.2%) do not perceive fear or anxiety about cervical cancer screening procedures to affect their willingness to utilize cervical cancer health services in the district. Conclusion: The study found that utilization of cervical cancer health services among women of childbearing age in Lusaka District remains suboptimal, largely due to low levels of awareness, limited access to health information, and persistent structural barriers such as transportation challenges, financial constraints, distance to health facilities, and concerns regarding privacy. Socio-demographic factors, including age, marital status, education, occupation, religion, and parity, were significantly associated with awareness of cervical cancer services. In response, the study recommends that the Lusaka District Health Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), strengthen community engagement, social mobilization, and health education campaigns to improve awareness of cervical cancer risk factors, screening services, and HPV vaccination. Additionally, capacity building for healthcare providers in culturally sensitive communication, patient confidentiality, stigma-free care, and the expansion of mobile outreach services is essential to address existing access-related barriers.

Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), a gynaecological disease caused by Schistosoma haematobium eggs deposition in the female genital tract, is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the region with the highest cervical cancer burden globally. Persistent high risk (HR-) human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is necessary for cervical cancer development. We determined the association between FGS and HR-HPV genotypes in Zambian women. Sexually active women aged 15-50, not menstruating or pregnant, were recruited at home and provided two cervicovaginal self-swabs, urine sample, HIV and Trichomonas vaginalis self-tests, and completed a questionnaire. In clinic, midwives collected cervicovaginal swabs and cervical images with point-of-care colposcopy (EVA System, MobileODTⓇ). Swabs were analysed for 14 HR-HPV types (GeneXpertⓇ) and Schistosoma DNA (ITS-2 qPCR); urine for Schistosoma ova by microscopy and circulating anodic antigen (CAA). Visual FGS was defined as colposcopic identification of specific genital lesions, and molecular FGS as Schistosoma-positive cervicovaginal qPCR. Among 2,532 women (median age 28 [IQR:22-36]) recruited at home; 67% (1,694/2,532) completed clinic follow-up. Prevalence of visual FGS, molecular FGS, and HR-HPV were 35.2% [595/1,691], 6.5% [165/2,532], and 28.7% [690/2,401], respectively. Molecular FGS was weakly associated with all HR-HPV (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]=1.3, 95% CI 0.9-1.9). Women with molecular FGS were more likely to test positive for HR-HPV 16/18/45 (aOR=1.7, 95%CI 1.0-2.8). No association was observed between visual FGS and HR-HPV infection (95% CI 0.7-1.1). This is the first study to jointly screen for FGS and HR-HPV in Zambia, reporting an association between oncogenic HR-HPV types and molecular FGS.

Oncoviruses continues to be an unattended cause of the global cancer load as they cause about 12-15 % of human malignancies in the world. The oncogenic infections that become persistent, such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV, HCV), Human T cell Leukemia Virus-1 (HTLV-1), and Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus (KSHV), are associated with malignant transformation by continuous destabilization of host cell cycle regulation, immune surveillance, and metabolic homeostasis. These viruses abuse critical oncogenic signaling networks like PI3K/AKT/mTOR, NF -KB, JAK/STAT, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, and p53-dependent networks, hence, facilitating unchecked proliferation, chronic inflammation, genomic instability, and tumor progression. Although there have been improvements in the traditional forms of treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, antiviral agents, immunotherapy, and gene-based treatments, yet clinical outcomes are still hampered by drug resistance, viral latency, systemic toxicity, and inaccessibility, and other severe side effects especially in low- and middle-income nations. Hence, there is a dire need to introduce new medicinal plant-based therapeutic approaches against oncovirus. This review analyses the molecular pathways of viral oncogenesis critically and discusses the clinical translation and a promising future potential of phytochemicals derived from medicinal plants like Phyllanthus emblica, Datura stramonium, Cannabis sativa, Andrographis paniculata, Aegle marmelos, Calotropis procera, and Prosopis cineraria proven to have bioactive compounds functioning as antivirals, immune-modulator, pro-apoptotic, and cell cycle regulatory effects in the preclinical models along with multi-targets.

DNA methylation analysis provides a promising triage strategy for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cancer detection following Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing on self-collected samples, including urine. This study aimed to develop an entirely molecular cervical screening approach based on HPV and DNA methylation analysis in at-home collected first-void urine from healthy females (n = 69) and a referral population (n = 385; CIN-cancer). CIN3+ detection was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Here we show that urinary ASCL1/LHX8 methylation levels increase significantly in relation to disease severity, with AUC-values for CIN3+ of 0.81 (95%CI:0.74-0.88) and 0.83 (95%CI:0.74-0.92) in the training (n = 285) and validation cohort (n = 160), respectively. This corresponds to a validated CIN3+ sensitivity of 73.0% (95%CI:57.0-84.6%) at 81.9% specificity (95%CI:73.5-88.1%; <CIN2). Urinary HPV testing is more sensitive (83.8%; 95%CI:68.9-92.3%) although less specific (59.6%;95%CI: 50.0-68.5%). For triage of HPV positives, ASCL1/LHX8 methylation and HPV16/18 genotyping have a similar CIN3+ sensitivity (75.0%; 95%CI:62.8-84.2% vs 73.3%; 95%CI:61.0-82.9%), with lower genotyping specificity. Combining ASCL1/LHX8 methylation with HPV16/18 genotyping yield a 85.0% sensitivity (95%CI:73.9-91.9%) at 50.5% specificity (95%CI:40.8-60.1%). The ASCL1/LHX8 methylation test detects nearly all cancers and a majority of CIN3 in first-void urine, supporting the potential of full molecular screening in urine by primary HPV testing and methylation triage.

Cervical cancer elimination efforts increasingly rely on human papillomavirus (HPV)-based screening. However, the optimal approach to screening beyond age 65 years and the role of self-sampling in older women remain uncertain in the HPV era. To evaluate HPV-based cervical cancer screening strategies, including self-sampling, in women aged 65 years and older and to quantify outcomes relevant to extended-age or "catch-up" approaches. We searched major bibliographic databases for studies assessing HPV-based screening and self-sampling in women 65 years and older in the HPV era. We included studies evaluating HPV-based testing, self-sampling modalities, and age-adapted pathways in women 65 years and older. Studies meeting prespecified eligibility criteria were included in qualitative synthesis; those providing data for at least one prespecified outcome were included in meta-analysis. Core studies contributing data suitable for quantitative synthesis were analyzed alongside supportive studies addressing participation, acceptability, implementation, and policy-relevant outcomes. The search identified 3461 records; after duplicate removal, 2918 titles/abstracts were screened and 1704 full texts were assessed. Forty-five studies met inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis, including 13 core studies eligible for meta-analysis of at least one prespecified outcome. Across the core evidence base, clinically meaningful high-risk HPV positivity and histologically confirmed high-grade lesions were observed beyond conventional exit ages, particularly among women with incomplete prior screening. A strong program-level signal was reported in a Danish catch-up initiative, where uptake was ≈62% in the intervention region versus ≈2% in the reference region, with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse detection ≈3.9 per 1000 eligible women compared with ≈0.3 per 1000 in the reference setting. Self-sampling, including messenger RNA-based approaches, appeared feasible in older women and may reduce barriers related to postmenopausal anatomy and speculum discomfort. Supportive evidence indicates that invitation design and outreach intensity substantially influence participation and downstream pathway efficiency. The evidence supports recalibrating cervical cancer screening beyond age 65 years using risk-informed HPV-based strategies. Targeted catch-up testing and well-designed self-sampling pathways may improve coverage and detection of clinically relevant disease in select older populations.

BackgroundPhysically Disabled women face multiple barriers to cervical screening, contributing to lower uptake and increased health inequalities. Human papillomavirus self-sampling has been shown to increase screening participation in under-screened populations, but little is known about its acceptability for Disabled women.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 1493 UK-based participants who identified as having a physical disability, impairment, condition, or difference that makes cervical screening difficult or impossible. Participants completed questions on the acceptability of human papillomavirus self-sampling, attitudes and beliefs relating to self-sampling, and future screening preferences. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression were used to analyse responses.ResultsMost participants reported that they would be able to carry out self-sampling themselves (63.3%) and would be willing for a healthcare professional to use a self-sampling kit on their behalf (59.1%). Many (70.5%) had concerns about not performing the test correctly. Around half (53.0%) would prefer self-sampling at home if offered a screening choice. Women who had never attended screening, or who had delayed/missed appointments, were significantly more likely to prefer self-sampling (odds ratios 13.11 and 5.25, respectively) than women who had always attended. Approximately a fifth of participants (18.7%) would prefer a non-speculum clinician-taken test.ConclusionHuman papillomavirus self-sampling was acceptable to many physically Disabled women and preferred over conventional screening, particularly among those who had delayed/missed screening or never attended. Implementation should include tailored accessible instructions to support human papillomavirus self-sampling, disability-informed clinical support, and consideration of non-speculum clinician-taken samples to ensure equitable access and reduce inequalities in cervical screening.

Targeted next-generation sequencing in diagnosing reproductive tract infections: a comparative study.