Since high-risk HPV (hrHPV) were recognised as the causal agents of cervical cancer, their molecular detection in cervical smears has been adopted as the primary screening test for cervical cancer in many countries. Due to the limited availability of data, our aim was to describe the prevalence and distribution of hrHPV in a French screening population of women.

All women who underwent cervical cancer screening at our hospital between March 2021 and December 2024 had a cervical smear taken in ThinPrep PreservCyt medium for HPV detection using the Alinitym HRHPV Assay. The following information was documented from the laboratory information management system: age, vaccination status, immunosuppression, and history of cervical lesion treatment.

9109 women aged 30-65 years were tested for hrHPV during the study period. hrHPV prevalence was 12.5% with the highest prevalence (21.0%) documented in the [30-35[year age group. Non vaccine HPV (HPV35, 39, 51, 56, 59, 66 and 68) were the most prevalent genotypes, regardless of age. The highest prevalence of hrHPV was found in immunocompromised women (16.3%) and those treated for a cervical lesion (27.6%). Among women with a history of cervical treatment, HPV16 was the most frequently detected genotype in some age groups.

In this real-life cohort of women screened for cervical cancer, the prevalence of hrHPV was consistent with that observed in studies conducted worldwide. The risk of being infected with a hrHPV was increased by being a young woman, being immunocompromised, or having been treated for a cervical lesion.