Cervical human papillomavirus positivity in hydatidiform mole and spontaneous miscarriage: a retrospective case-control study

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with several adverse pregnancy outcomes, but its relationship with hydatidiform mole remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare cervical HPV positivity between patients with hydatidiform mole and spontaneous miscarriage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted at a tertiary gynecologic oncology center between May 2020 and June 2024. Patients who underwent dilatation and curettage included those with hydatidiform mole (n = 55) and spontaneous miscarriage (n = 109). Demographic and clinical characteristics, including age, parity, chronic disease, and cervical HPV status and genotypes, were collected. Chi-square test was used to assess the association between diagnosis and HPV status. RESULTS: Cervical HPV positivity was observed in 5 (9.1%) patients with hydatidiform mole and 10 (9.2%) with spontaneous miscarriage (p = 0.986). All HPV-positive molar pregnancy cases were identified within the partial hydatidiform mole. CONCLUSION: Cervical HPV positivity did not differ significantly between hydatidiform mole and spontaneous miscarriage. HPV positivity was observed only in partial mole cases in our cohort; however, the number of HPV positive mole cases was small, and this finding should be considered descriptive only. These findings do not show whether HPV was present in molar tissue.