Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, particularly high-risk genotypes (HR-HPV), is the main cause of anal cancer. Men who have sex with men and live with HIV (MSM/LWH) have a significantly higher prevalence of HR-HPV infection (70–80%)1 2 and anal cancer incidence3 compared with the general population. Accordingly, anal cancer screening with cytology and/or HR-HPV detection is recommended for this population.4

Data on the performance of screening methods in developing regions, including Latin America, remain scarce but is essential for tailoring screening strategies. To our knowledge, there are no published data on screening results among MSM/LWH in Chile. Therefore, this study aimed to address this gap by assessing the frequency of anal cytology alterations and HR-HPV detection within this group.

MSM/LWH attending an infectious diseases clinic in Santiago were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study from September 2020 to September 2022. Clinical records were reviewed, and participants were asked to answer an online survey about their sexual health history. Two rectal specimens from each participant were obtained, one for liquid-based cytology, which was processed using the ThinPrep 2000 system, and then a second one for HR-HPV detection, which was tested by PCR using the Cobas 4800 system (Roche). Cytology results were classified as NILM (negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy), ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance), ASC-H …