Detection of high‐risk human papillomavirus infection and treatment of high‐grade vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia: A single‐institution study

Objective To identify high‐risk HPV (hrHPV) genotypes associated with high‐grade vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN), and evaluate the efficacy of various treatments for high‐grade VaIN. Methods A retrospective review of outcomes among women diagnosed with VaIN after vaginal punch biopsy conducted due to an abnormal Papanicolaou smear or positive test for hrHPV at a hospital in Seoul, Korea, from 2013 to 2018. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with abnormal pathologic outcomes. Results Among 389 women included in the study, 58 were diagnosed with high‐grade VaIN, including VaIN stage 2 (n = 37), VaIN stage 3 (n = 16), carcinoma in situ of the vagina (n = 3), and squamous carcinoma of the vagina (n = 2). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, risk of high‐grade VaIN and cancer was higher among women with abnormal cytology (odds ratio [OR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47–2.47), any hrHPV infection (OR, 8.75; 95% CI, 1.14–67.31), HPV16 infection (OR, 5.71; 95% CI, 2.57–12.68), or HPV31 infection (OR, 4.37; 95% CI, 1.45–13.11). Conclusion The findings suggest that infection with hrHPV, especially HPV16 and HPV31, is significantly associated with high‐grade VaIN. Regarding treatment modalities, ablative or excisional treatments showed good efficacy against pathologic regression of high‐grade VaIN. Synopsis Infection with high‐risk HPV genotypes, especially HPV16 and HPV31, was strongly associated with high‐grade vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia.