Combined Cytological, Immunohistochemical, and Molecular Detection of Human Papillomavirus in Cervical Intraepithelial Lesions

الملخص

This study included 50 cervical specimens collected from women aged 25–60 years attending hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq. Normal cervical epithelium, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia CIN1 and CIN2 were included in this study. Specimens were evaluated using Pap smear cytology, p16 immunohistochemistry, and Real-Time PCR for detection of HPV-associated cervical abnormalities. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is strongly associated with cervical carcinogenesis through the action of viral oncogenes E6 and E7. The results showed that cervical lesions were most common among women aged 30–49 years. Histopathological examination revealed that CIN1 represented 60% of cases, while CIN2 accounted for 30%, and normal cervical tissue represented 10%. Cytological findings demonstrated that LSIL was the most frequent diagnosis (50%), followed by HSIL (24%). Positive p16 expression increased with lesion severity, while Real-Time PCR demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting high-risk HPV DNA. Combined diagnostic methods improved early detection and diagnostic accuracy of HPV-associated cervical lesions.