Risk for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse in relation to smoking among women with persistent human papillomavirus infection

Kirsten Egebjerg Jensen, Sven Schmiedel, Kirsten Frederiksen, Bodil Norrild, Thomas Iftner, Susanne Kruger Kjær

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Smoking has been associated with cervical cancer. We examined whether smoking increases the risk for high-grade cervical lesions in women with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Methods: In a population-based cohort study, 8,656 women underwent a structured interview, and subsequently cervical cells were obtained for HPV DNA testing. Women with high-risk HPV infection and no prevalent cervical disease at baseline (n = 1,353) were followed through the Pathology Data Bank for cervical lesions for up to 13 years. Separate analyses of women with persistent high-risk HPV infection (n = 312) were also conducted. HRs for a diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse/high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or worse (CIN3+) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated in the two groups. Results: Amonghigh-risk HPV-positive women, an increased risk for CIN3+ was associated with long-term smoking (≥10 years) and heavy smoking (≥20 cigarettes/d). In the subgroup of women with persistent HPV infection, heavy smoking was also associated with a statistically significantly higher risk for CIN3+ than never smoking (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.05-3.22, adjusted for length of schooling, parity, and HPV type at baseline). The average number of cervical cytology screening tests per year during follow-up did not explain the differences in risk in relation to smoking (P = 0.4). Conclusions: Smoking is associated with an increased risk for subsequent high-grade cervical lesions in women with persistent high-risk HPV infection. Impact: Our study adds to the understanding of the role of smoking in the natural history of HPV and cervical carcinogenesis.

Original languageEnglish
JournalCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Volume21
Issue number11
Pages (from-to)1949-1955
Number of pages7
ISSN1055-9965
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2012

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