New HPV study

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 52, No. 3, April 2010, Page 133 News

A recent McGill-CHUM study of couples in new sexual relationships (6 months or less) attending college in Montreal found that 56% of participants were infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). Of those, nearly half (44%) were infected with an HPV type that causes cancer. 

The HITCH Cohort Study (HPV Infection and Transmission in Couples through Heterosexual activity), led by Professor Eduardo Franco, director of McGill University’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit, is the first large-scale study of HPV infection among couples early in their sexual relationships, when transmission is most likely. 

The results build on knowledge that HPV infection is very common among young adults, and underline the importance of prevention programs for HPV-associated diseases like cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination. 

The results, published in the January 2010 issue of Epidemiology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, also indicate there is a high probability of HPV transmission between partners. 

HITCH Cohort Study participants are young women attending univer­sity or college/CEGEP in Montreal, Quebec, and their male partners. Participants fill out questionnaires in which they answer questions about their sexual history and they also provide genital specimens for laboratory testing for the presence of HPV infection. Recruitment for the study is continuing.
For more information, visit www.mcgill.ca/hitchcohort.

. New HPV study . BCMJ, Vol. 52, No. 3, April, 2010, Page(s) 133 - News.


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