Kathmandu screening finds 90 women positive for HPV

A random cervical cancer screening conducted by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has identified 90 women testing positive for human papillomavirus (HPV). Officials from the municipal health department noted that these women felt healthy and were unaware of their infection until the screening.

Chandra Bhatta, focal person for the program, stated that 12 of the positive cases were infected with HPV-16 and 13 with HPV-18. The remaining 65 women were found to have other types of HPV infection. Human papillomavirus is a primary cause of cervical cancer, which is the second most common cancer in developing nations and a significant cause of death among Nepali women.

“

Of the total positive cases, 12 were infected with HPV-16 and 13 with HPV-18. Apart from HPV types 16 and 18, our study shows other types of HPV infection in 65 women.

The screening, which took place between March 30 and May 4, involved 2,975 women. Of these, 2,779 underwent HPV DNA testing, and 1,450 underwent genotype testing. The city office's limited testing kits meant HPV types 16 and 18 were tested on only 1,329 women, despite these types being responsible for an estimated 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.

Health officials reported that colposcopy was performed on all 90 HPV-positive women. Six of them underwent polypectomy, a procedure to remove uterine polyps. The findings underscore the prevalence of HPV infections, including types beyond 16 and 18, among women in Nepal, many of whom may be asymptomatic carriers of cancer-causing viruses.

“

First, we organise a screening camp for around a month and then perform other testing, including biopsy, mammogram, USG and others, which takes several weeks. Our finding shows that a lot of women, who think that they are fine, might have been suffering from various forms of cancer and infected with cancer-causing viruses.