[A Multicenter Retrospective Investigation of the Distribution of High-Risk HPV Genotypes Among Women Who Underwent HPV Testing in Azerbaijan].
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The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) genotypes using laboratory data obtained from women who underwent HPV testing and to evaluate the molecular findings according to age and regional distribution. Cervical swab specimens submitted to our laboratory from different regions of Azerbaijan between January 1, 2023 and January 1, 2025 were included in this study. Following viral DNA extraction, genotyping of 14 HR- HPV genotypes was performed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. A total of 835 women were included in the study. HPV DNA positivity was detected in 315 (37.7%) women, of whom 261 (31.3%) harbored at least one highrisk HPV genotype. Overall, high-risk genotypes were identified in 82.9% of all HPV-positive cases. The most frequently detected high-risk genotypes were HPV16 (21.9%), HPV52 (13.7%) and HPV66 (12.4%). HPV16 was most frequently detected in the Ganja-Tovuz (50.0%) and Sumgait (25.7%) regions, whereas HPV52 and HPV66 were similarly most common in Baku (14.0% and 11.4%), Sumgait (12.9% and 15.7%) and Ganja-Tovuz (11.1% and 16.7%), respectively. According to age groups, the highest HR-HPV positivity rate was observed in women aged 18-20 years (50.0%). HR-HPV positivity rates were 31.7% in the 21-30-year age group, 32.4% in the 31-40-year age group and 28.5% in the 41-50-year age group, while the positivity rate decreased to below 20% in women older than 50 years. Notably, the 31-40-year age group represented the largest proportion of the study population and exhibited the second-highest HR-HPV positivity rate (32.4%). The study findings demonstrated that high-risk HPV genotypes were detected more frequently among younger women undergoing HPV testing. In addition, HPV16, HPV52 and HPV66 were identified as the most prevalent high-risk genotypes in the study population. This laboratory-based study provides updated data on the distribution of HR-HPV genotypes. The findings may contribute to the design of future large-scale, population-based studies supported by clinical data. Furthermore, as the first large-scale report on the distribution of high-risk HPV genotypes from Azerbaijan, this study fills an important gap in the existing literature.