Prevalence of cytological atypia and high-risk human papillomavirus infection in Panará indigenous women in Central Brazil

The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of cytological atypia and human papillomavirus infection in Panará indigenous women in 2006-2007. This was a cross-sectional observational study with data obtained from vaginal cervical samples for Pap smear and hybrid capture, colposcopy, and biopsy. The study included 86 females 12 years or older with a history of sexual activity. 10.7% of the women were diagnosed with cytological atypia and 28.6% were infected with high-risk HPV genotypes, which were more common among young women (mean = 25.6 years). Of these, 41.7% were positive for high-risk HPV genotypes 16 and/or 18 and/or 45, and the majority (58.3%) for other high-risk HPV genotypes. The study concludes that this group of indigenous women constitutes a special population, susceptible to develop precursor lesions for cervical cancer and vulnerable to STDs. Preventive measures are required, such as systematic cervical cancer screening and HPV immunization.