The prevalence of Human Papillomavirus and its impact on Cervical Dysplasia in northern Canada

There were two components in this study: component I- the prevalence of HPV infection; and component II - HPV risk assessment. Component I included study sites in the Northwest Territories (NT), Nunavut (NU), and Labrador region (LB). Component II included study sites in NT and Yukon (YT). In component I, bio-sample collection for HPV testing was incorporated into routine Pap testing and no extra samples were required. All bio-samples were collected by physicians or nurses and sent to relevant Public Health Laboratories for Pap testing. Approximately half of each sample was used for a Pap test, and the remainder was shipped to the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg for HPV typing using the Luminex assay method. Pap test results, HPV types, and demographic information were linked for analysis. 5726 samples were collected in NT between April, 2008 and March, 2009; 4683 samples were collected in NU between January, 2008 and March, 2009; and 1363 samples were collected in the Labrador region between January, 2010 and November, 2010. Component II used the same method for data collection as component I, with the addition that women were asked to answer a questionnaire to provide their risk factor information. Pap test results, HPV types, demographic information and questionnaire data were linked for analysis. 1279 samples were collected in NT, between April, 2009 and March, 2010; and 1621 samples were collected in YT between February, 2009 and June, 2010.