Prevalence of human papillomavirus-related diseases in the Republic of Korea: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectiveWe aimed to evaluate trends in the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related diseases in the era before the introduction of organised HPV vaccination programmes in the Republic of Korea.MethodsThis cross-sectional study used National Health Insurance Service data from 2002 to 2015 and included participants who were diagnosed with the following HPV-related diseases (codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision): genital warts (A63.0); cancer in the head and neck (C00–C10), anus (C21), vulva (C51), vagina (C52), cervix uteri (C53) and penis (C60); carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the lip/oral cavity/pharynx (D00.0), anus (D01.3), cervix (D06), vulva (D07.1), vagina (D07.2) and penis (D07.4); benign neoplasms of the larynx (D14.1); and dysplasia of the cervix (N87), vagina (N89) and vulva (N90). For each diagnosis, the fraction of cases attributable to HPV in Korea was assessed based on the percentages of diseases attributable to HPV reported in some international studies. The age-standardised prevalence was estimated using the direct population-based method.ResultsThe overall age-standardised prevalence of HPV-related diseases increased from 2002 to 2015, mainly due to increased prevalence of genital warts in men and cervical dysplasia and CIS in women. In women, genital wart prevalence increased from 2002 (24.4 per 100 000) to 2011 (57.1) and then decreased until 2015 (53.5); in men, the prevalence increased steadily from 2002 (22.9) to 2015 (109.4). The prevalence of cervical dysplasia and CIS increased (from 86.5 in 2002 to 484.5 in 2015, and from 60.3 in 2002 to 114.9 in 2015, respectively), but that of cervical cancer decreased (from 120.0 in 2002 to 106.9 in 2015).ConclusionsNon-organised HPV vaccination and organised cervical cancer screening may have contributed to the downward trend in genital wart prevalence and the upward trend in cervical abnormalities among women.

Prevalence and Treatment of Vulvar Cancer From 2014−2018: A Nationwide Population-Based Study in Korea

“… 26 Furthermore, the number of women diagnosed with genital warts has increased over the last few decades. 27 Genital warts are strongly associated with developing HPV-related malignancies including vulvar cancer. 28 Although only 20% of all vulvar cancers are associated with HPV infection, HPV is considered a major cause of vulvar cancer in younger women.…”

Prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus and its genotype distribution in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

“…The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer, most of which are SCCs, has been reported to be increasing worldwide, and this is attributed to a rise in HPV-positive portion of oropharyngeal carcinomas in some studies [3,[9][10][11][12]. As for the Republic of Korea, a National Health Insurance Service data-based study reported an increase in the incidence of tonsillar cancer during 2002-2015 from 1.1 to 2.4 for men, and from 0.31 to 0.46 for women (per 100,000) [13]. On the other hand, data on HPV-positive fraction of Korean HN SCCs has been published for small cohorts of oropharynx and oral cavity tumors, with a wide range of values [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24].…”

The Economic Burden of Cancers Attributable to Infection in the Republic of Korea: A Prevalence-Based Study

“…Although HPV vaccines have been used in Korea since 2007, HPV vaccination was involved in the National Immunization Program for girls in 2016 [ 11 ]. A recent study in Korea reported that, while the prevalence of anogenital warts in men increased continuously over time, that observed in women declined after 2012, reflecting the effect of the vaccine [ 32 ]. Korea has adapted its National Cancer Screening Program for the five major types of cancer (i.e., stomach, liver, colorectal, breast, and cervical) since 1999 [ 12 ].…”