High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection Prevalence: A Nationwide Retrospective Study Comparing Opportunistic and Organized Screening in France

A nationwide retrospective study published in Eurosurveillance has investigated the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) cervical infections in France. The research compared the prevalence of HPV16 and/or 18, and other carcinogenic HPV genotypes between opportunistic screening and the national screening program. The study found that opportunistic screening was associated with a higher prevalence of HPV infections, particularly among younger females.

Key Takeaways:

The study extracted data from 362,963 HR HPV tests performed between 1 January 2020 and 30 November 2023 in metropolitan France.
Among samples positive for HPV16 and/or 18, 2.9% were from organized screening, while 3.8% were from opportunistic screening.
Samples positive for other genotypes were 6.9% and 9.4% from organized and opportunistic screening, respectively.
The study found a pronounced north-west/south-east gradient in infection prevalence for both genotype groups, with hotspots located at the border with Italy, Spain, and Switzerland.
Opportunistic screening was associated with systemic inflation of HR HPV infection prevalence.
The study concluded that organized screening may be more effective in controlling HPV infections.

Statistics:

362,963 HR HPV tests were extracted from a large network of biology laboratories between 1 January 2020 and 30 November 2023.
2.9% of samples positive for HPV16 and/or 18 were from organized screening.
3.8% of samples positive for HPV16 and/or 18 were from opportunistic screening.
6.9% of samples positive for other genotypes were from organized screening.
9.4% of samples positive for other genotypes were from opportunistic screening.

Sources:

Eurosurveillance. High-risk human papillomavirus cervical infection prevalence: a nationwide retrospective study comparing opportunistic and organised screening, France, 2020 to 2023. Eurosurveillance, 2025, 30(28).
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (Publisher)
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.28.2400689 (Free online access)
College de France, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Universite PSL, Paris, France. (Authors)