The Place of Human Papillomavirus Test in the Screening of Intraepithelial Lesions of Cervix in South-Kivu Province, DR Congo

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains the most common cause of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The objective of this study is to evaluate the sensitivity and predictive value of the HPV test associated with the cervico-uterine smear in the screening of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in our environment. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study of 625 women who consulted in the department of gynecology for cervical cancer screening, of whom 300 received an HPV test; during the period from January the 1st to December 31st, 2018 at Panzi general reference hospital (South-Kivu, DRC). Data analysis was done using Epi Info version 7 software. Results: For all respondents (n = 625), the cervico-uterine smear was normal in 82.88%, inflammatory in 2.4% of cases and with cellular atypia in 14.72%. The HPV test was positive in 87 respondents against 213 negatives cases, i.e. a prevalence of HPV of 29% [95% CI: 23.9% - 34.5%]. Among women with precancerous lesions, 27.6% had HPV infection; among those with normal smears, 29.3% of them had HPV infection; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Patients with dysplastic lesions, 31.3% had genotypes with very high carcinogenic potential; and for those with a normal Pap smear, 45.1% had genotypes with very high carcinogenic potential; however, this difference was also not statistically significant. Conclusion: The human papillomavirus test remains a very important indication cation in the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, its sensitivity remaining clearly superior to that of cytology, especially for high grade lesions.