ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.

Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology

Integrating active surveillance and HPV Vaccination for High-Risk CIN2: A Strategy to Reduce Disease Progression

  • 1. Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

  • 2. Beijing Fuxing Hospital, Beijing, China

  • 3. Beijing Chaoyang District Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Beijing, China., Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Abstract

Objective: To identify risk factors associated with disease progression in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2) undergoing active surveillance and to evaluate the protective effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination administered after diagnosis. Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study included 510 women (mean age 30.15 ± 5.82 years, range 18-61) with histologically confirmed CIN2 who chose active surveillance between January 2012 and March 2021. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and HPV vaccination status were collected and analyzed. Primary and secondary outcomes were complete regression, persistence, and progression of disease (to CIN3, adenocarcinoma in situ [AIS], or invasive cancer). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, along with Cox proportional hazards models, were applied to assess risk factors. Results: Over a mean follow-up period of 37.0 months, 65.9% (336/510) of patients achieved complete regression, 10.8% (55/510) exhibited persistent CIN2, and 6.3% (32/510) experienced disease progression. Multivariate analysis identified HPV16 infection (OR 4.07, 95%CI 1.88–8.81) and having more than three pregnancies (OR 4.38, 95%CI 1.63–11.79) as independent risk factors for progression. Notably, HPV vaccination administered after CIN2 diagnosis was found to be an independent protective factor (OR 0.29, 95%CI 0.08–0.98). The Kaplan-Meier estimated 5-year progression rate was 72% (5 of 13 patients) in the high-risk subgroup (unvaccinated, HPV16-positive women with more than three pregnancies), compared with only 7.6% (27 of 497 patients) in the low-risk subgroup (vaccinated, HPV16-negative women with three or fewer pregnancies). Conclusion: Active surveillance is a safe and effective management strategy for most women with CIN2. Risk stratification using HPV16 infection status and pregnancy history is crucial for personalized management. HPV vaccination after CIN2 diagnosis is strongly recommended, as it significantly reduces the risk of disease progression.

Summary

Keywords

active surveillance, Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2), disease progression, HPV16, Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, risk stratification

Received

14 December 2025

Accepted

19 February 2026

Copyright

© 2026 Geng, Bai, Liu, Jia, Zhai, Sun, Jiao, Li, Liu and Bai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Jun Liu; Huimin Bai

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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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