Postcolposcopy management strategies for women referred with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or human papillomavirus DNA-positive atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance: a two-year prospective study

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to compare postcolposcopy management strategies for women referred for low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) or oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA-positive atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 1 or less found at initial colposcopy. STUDY DESIGN: A 2-year prospective follow-up of 1539 women was designed to assess the percentage sensitivity of different postcolposcopy management strategies to detect subsequent CIN grade 2 or 3 and percentage referral to repeat colposcopy. RESULTS: HPV testing at 12 months was sensitive (92.2%) for detection of CIN grade 2 or 3 with a referral rate to repeat colposcopy of 55.0%. Repeat semiannual cytology with referral to colposcopy at an ASCUS threshold demonstrated similar sensitivity (88.0%) but with a higher rate of referral to colposcopy (63.6%). Combining cytology and HPV testing did not increase sensitivity and hurt specificity. Baseline viral load and colposcopic impression were not helpful. CONCLUSION: The most efficient test for identifying women with CIN grade 2 or 3 after colposcopy might be an HPV test alone at 12 months.     

Liquid-based cytology and human papillomavirus testing: A pooled analysis using the data from 13 population-based cervical cancer screening studies from China

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of introducing HR-HPV testing in cytology regarding cervical cancer screening practice.

Methods

A pooled analysis of liquid-based cytology (LBC) and HR-HPV testing using data from 13 population-based cervical cancer screening studies conducted in China was performed. Participants (n = 25,404) received LBC and HR-HPV testing. Women found to be positive on screening were referred for colposcopy and biopsy. The effectiveness of screening strategies that use: LBC with HR-HPV triage for atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), HR-HPV testing with cytology triage for HPV positive tests, or LBC and HPV cotesting was compared with that of LBC screening alone.

Results

LBC with HR-HPV triage for ASC-US had similar sensitivity compared with LBC alone, but significantly increased specificity for both cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2 +) and CIN3 or worse (CIN3 +) endpoints, and had the best balance between sensitivity and specificity among the strategies. LBC and HR-HPV cotesting had the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) and could permit a safe extension of screening intervals. Through the use of an immediate colposcopy threshold of ASC-US or worse for HR-HPV positive women and the use of a raised threshold of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) or worse for HR-HPV negative women, LBC and HR-HPV cotesting could provide the same effectiveness as LBC testing with HR-HPV triage for ASC-US at baseline tests.

Conclusions

The results of the current study support the use of the cervical cancer screening guidelines in China.     

Diagnostic accuracy of human papillomavirus testing in primary cervical screening: a systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomized studies

OBJECTIVE: This is a meta-analysis of studies comparing HPV testing to cytology with regard to their accuracy in the detection of underlying high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in primary cervical cancer screening. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted following the Cochrane Collaboration Guidelines. A systematic search was performed in 8 electronic databases. Strict selection criteria were applied in terms of types of participants, types of interventions and methods to limit verification bias. Where possible we calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of cytology and the HPV test, as well as sensitivity and specificity ratios for the detection of CIN2 or worse. Random effect models were used for pooling accuracy parameters. The results were displayed using forest plots. RESULTS: We identified 25 studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity of HC2, PCR, cytology (ASCUS or worse) and cytology (LSIL or worse) was 90%, 80.9%, 72.7% and 61.6%, respectively, and the pooled specificity was 86.5%, 94.7%, 91.9% and 96.0%, respectively. The ratio of the sensitivity of HC2 to cytology (ASCUS) was 1.25 (95% CI=1.20-1.29), and the corresponding specificity ratio was 0.97 (95% CI=0.96-0.98). The ratio of the sensitivity of combination of HC2 and cytology (ASCUS) to HC2 alone was 1.05 (95% CI=1.04-1.06) and the ratio of the specificity 0.95 (95% CI=0.94-0.96). For women over 30 years, the sensitivity of HC2 was 94.8% and the specificity 86.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to cytology, the HC2 and PCR are substantially more sensitive for prevalent CIN2 or worse but significantly less specific. The combination of HC2 and cytology has the highest sensitivity and lowest specificity. However, reduction of the incidence of or mortality from invasive cervical cancer among HPV screened subjects compared to cytologically screened subjects has not yet been demonstrated.     

Managing atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance in Papanicolaou smears

OBJECTIVE: To assess strategies using repeated conventional Pap smear and human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing, alone or in combination, for identifying women with concomitant cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 and 3 (CIN 2/3) in women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) in their Pap smears. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 360 women cytologically diagnosed with ASCUS were referred for colposcopy and underwent a repeat Pap smear, a biopsy when necessary and HPV testing using three different modes of detection of high-oncogenic-risk HPV types: 1, first-generation Hybrid Capture test (HC-1) (Digene Diagnostics, Gaithersburg, Maryland); 2, second-generation Hybrid Capture test (HC-2); and 3, polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Nineteen patients (5.3%) had histologic CIN 2/3. The sensitivity and specificity of the repeat Pap smear alone for the detection of CIN 2/3 were 73.7% and 62.9%, respectively, when referring all women with a repeat Pap smear using an ASCUS-positive threshold. The proportion of women referred for colposcopy was 39.0%. When HPV testing for high risk was used for identification of women with histologic CIN 2/3, sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 68.4% and 85.9% for HC-1, 89.5% and 73.9% for HC-2 and 89.5% and 59.0% for PCR. The rate of referral for colposcopy of these three modes of HPV testing was 16.9%, 29.4% and 44.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for identification of women with concomitant CIN 2/3 using a combination of repeat cytology showing a low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and/or a test positive for high-oncogenic-risk HPV group were, respectively, 94.7% and 73.2% when used in combination with HC-2. The referral rate of women for colposcopy of this combined strategy was 30.4%. CONCLUSION: As compared to the strategy using abnormal repeat Pap smear alone, those using high-risk HPV testing with Hybrid Capture showed statistically significantly higher specificities and lower proportions of women with ASCUS referred for colposcopy. In particular, a promising strategy would be to refer for colposcopy only women with repeat Pap smears showing squamous intraepithelial lesion and/or those positive for high-risk HPV detected by Hybrid Capture testing.     

Cytology versus HPV testing for the detection of high-grade cervical lesions in women found positive on visual inspection in Mumbai, India

Objective

To compare the utility of cytology and HPV testing in women from Mumbai, India, suspected of having cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) on visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), Lugol's iodine (VILI), or both.

Method

The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of these tests for the detection of CIN 2 and/or 3 were evaluated in this cross-sectional study with 756 women suspected of having CIN on visual inspection.

Results

There were 25 women with CIN 2, 20 with CIN 3, and 21 with invasive cancer. The sensitivity to detect CIN 3 lesions was 85.0% (95% CI, 62.1-96.8) and 70.0% (95% CI, 45.7-88.1) for cytology testing at the ASCUS and LSIL thresholds, respectively, and it was 89.5% (95% CI, 66.9-98.7) for HPV testing. The specificity to detect CIN 3 lesions was 94.5% (95% CI, 92.5-96.1) and 96.1% (95% CI, 94.4-97.5) for cytology testing at the ASCUS and LSIL thresholds, and it was 91.1% (95% CI, 88.5-93.2) for HPV testing.

Conclusion

Cytology and HPV testing were both found to be accurate triaging methods for women suspected of having CIN on visual inspection, especially for those with CIN 3 lesions.     

Follow-up by combined cytology and human papillomavirus testing for patients post-cone biopsy: results of a long-term follow-up

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical implications of integrating human papillomavirus (HPV) testing into a long-term follow-up and management protocol for women postconization for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2-3). METHODS: Sixty-seven women were followed-up by Pap smears and HPV type and load testing (mean follow-up, 63 months; range, 50-72). Patients with persistent abnormal cytology on two consecutive smears and those with positive HPV test results (whatever their cytologic findings) were referred for colposcopy-directed biopsy. Patients histologically diagnosed with CIN2-3 and those with high-load HPV (whatever their histologic findings) underwent repeat conization or hysterectomy for residual disease. RESULTS: At follow-up, 29 (43.2%) women had positive cytology or positive HPV results and were referred for colposcopy. Eleven (37.9%) had high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or high-load HPV results and were further treated by reconization/hysterectomy. The respective positive predictive values of high-load HPV and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions were 100 and 60% for any CIN and 90 and 15% for CIN2-3. Only five of nine cases with a final diagnosis of CIN2-3 were originally identified by cytology: the other four were detected only by parallel evaluation by HPV testing. High-load HPV results with normal cytology or low-grade lesions harbored an 80% risk for CIN2-3. CONCLUSIONS: Adding HPV load assessment to the follow-up protocol of women postconization due to CIN2-3 lesions could help detect high-grade residual disease among low-grade lesions and normal cytology cases while concomitantly and safely bestowing the advantage of lowering the rates of colposcopic referrals and surgical procedures.     

Clinical validation of high risk HPV DNA testing versus ThinPrep cytology for primary cervical cancer screening

Objective(s)To compare the validity of the high risk HPV DNA testing using the hybrid capture II technique (HC-II) to ThinPrep cytology for primary cervical cancer screening.DesignCross sectional pilot study.SettingDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taiba Hospital, Sabah Al Salem, Kuwait.MethodsConsecutive 1923 cervical smear samples were taken for ThinPrep cytological screening and hr-HPV DNA testing using HC-II assay. Histological diagnoses were obtained from a total of 426 women who had positive results on screening and a group of women with negative screening and suspicious cervix underwent colposcopy and directed biopsies, and those with cervical precancerous lesions or cancer received appropriate treatment.Main outcome measuresSensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of screening methods.ResultsHPV was found positive in 15.5% of cases. 19/22 cases (86.4.1%) with a biopsy diagnosis of CIN2+ had a HC-II positive test. For CIN3, HC-II was positive in all cases (100%). Assuming a similar specificity level, the relative sensitivity of the HC-II test was higher when histologically confirmed high grade lesions (CIN2+ or CIN3+) were observed. HC-II test had the best sensitivity when defining cases as CIN2+ or CIN3+ (98.7% and 100%, respectively). When using the ASCUS+ cytological cutoff, the differences in CIN2+ and CIN3+ sensitivity between HC-II test and ThinPrep cytology were statistically not significant. Specificity of the ThinPrep cytology for any low and high grade histological lesions was clearly >95% when cytological diagnosis LSIL+ cutoff was used and nearly 100% when HSIL+ cutoff was used. All these specificity estimates were high compared with HC-II test. The specificity of the ThinPrep cytology decreased with about 10% when ASCUS+ was the cutoff. At cutoff ASCUS+, specificity of HC-II was comparable or only slightly lower than with ThinPrep ASCUS+ cytology with no statistically significant differences.ConclusionsThinPrep smears and hr-HPV DNA detection by HC-II performed very well with regard to identifying high grade lesions. HPV DNA testing is a promising new technology for cervical cancer prevention and can be used for primary screening in conjunction with cervical cytology for women aged 30 years and older.     

Can viral load, semi-quantitatively evaluated, of human papillomavirus predict cytological or histological outcome in women with atypical squamous or glandular cells of undetermined significance cytology?

OBJECTIVE: 1) To assess the regression to normal cytology in women with cervical smears diagnosed as atypical squamous or glandular cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS/AGUS) and absence or clearance of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection; 2) To evaluate the association between viral load, semi-quantitatively evaluated, and cytological or histological outcome. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cohort study HPV test and biopsy was taken in 148 women with ASCUS/AGUS cytology. After 12-18 months a HPV test and cervical smear were repeated in 121 women. RESULTS: Absence or clearance of HPV showed significantly more regression to normal cytology than persistent or newly acquired infected women, odds ratio 27 (95% confidence interval; 7-103). The viral load of the HPV test at enrollment was not correlated with the follow-up cytological outcome (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.2, p = 0.2). A marked association between viral load and histological outcome at enrollment was shown (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.43, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Absence or clearance of HPV can predict regression to normal cytology. Viral load at enrollment cannot predict cytological regression. There was a marked association between viral load and the underlying CIN at enrollment. However, there was large overlapping of viral loads among the grades of CIN. Therefore, viral load is not a useful parameter to predict high-grade lesions in women with ASCUS/AGUS cytology.     

Risk of Cervical Dysplasia After Colposcopy Care and Risk-Informed Return to Population-Based Screening: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examined the risk of cervical dysplasia among women who have undergone a colposcopy episode of care to inform their return to population-based cervical screening. PubMed, Embase, and grey literature were searched between January 2000 and 2018. One reviewer screened citations against pre-defined eligibility criteria. A second reviewer verified 10% and 100% of exclusions at title and abstract and at full-text screening, respectively. One reviewer extracted data and assessed methodological quality of included articles; a second reviewer verified these in full. The primary outcome was incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or greater (CIN2+) subsequent to initial colposcopy evaluation. Secondary outcomes included incidence of CIN2+ after negative follow-up test results and performance of follow-up strategies. Results were synthesized narratively. A total of 48 studies were included. The 1- to 5-year CIN2+ risks after colposcopy evaluation ranged from 2.4% to 16.5% among women treated for CIN2+ and from 0.7% to 16.8% among women untreated for CIN grade 1 or less (≤CIN1). Follow-up strategies included single or repeat cytology, human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, or combined HPV/cytology co-testing at various intervals. After negative follow-up test results, risk varied by follow-up strategy for both groups and by referral cytology severity for untreated women. Performance of follow-up strategies varied among treated women. Among untreated women, co-testing demonstrated greater sensitivity than cytology alone. In conclusion, women treated during colposcopy for CIN2+ and women with ≤CIN1 who were referred to colposcopy for low-grade cytology and who did not receive treatment may be able to return to population-based screening after negative co-testing results. Current evidence does not suggest that women untreated for ≤CIN1 who are referred for high-grade cytology be returned to screening at an average risk interval. The optimal strategy for colposcopy discharge needs ongoing evaluation as implementation of HPV testing evolves.     

HPV testing can reduce the number of follow-up visits in women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing by Hybrid Capture II (HC II) in addition to cytology to predict recurrent/residual cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2/3 and cervical cancer in women treated for CIN 3. METHODS: Follow-up study of 108 women with histologically confirmed CIN 3. RESULTS: Pretreatment, in 96% (104/108) of the smears high-risk HPV DNA was present. Posttreatment, 71% (77/108) of the women had normal cytology and negative HC II test and none developed recurrent/residual disease during a median follow-up of 28.8 months with a range of 2.4-64.8 months. One of the 12% (13/108) of women with normal cytology and positive HC II test was diagnosed with cervical adenocarcinoma. One of the 7% (8/108) of women with abnormal cytology (borderline dyskaryosis or worse) and negative HC II test was diagnosed with CIN 2. Three of the 9% (10/108) of women with abnormal cytology and a positive HC II test were diagnosed with CIN 2/3. These results show an increased risk for recurrent/residual CIN 2/3 and cervical carcinoma when at least one posttreatment test is positive. The highest relative risk (72.9, 95% CI 25-210) was present in women with both tests positive. CONCLUSIONS: HPV testing with Hybrid Capture II in conjunction with cytology can be used as a tool to select women with an increased risk for recurrent/residual CIN 2/3 and cervical cancer. The standard policy in The Netherlands is cytology at 6, 12, and 24 months posttreatment. However, for women with both normal cytology and negative HC II test at 6 months the chance to develop recurrent/residual CIN 2/3 and cervical carcinoma is so low that retesting at 12 months can be omitted.     

Comparison of three management strategies for patients with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, after six months delay: A three-year experience in an Iranian university hospital

Background: A Pap test result of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) presents a clinical challenge. Only 5–10% of women with ASCUS harbour serious cervical disease.
Methods: We screened 3619 women, who attended to Mirza Koochak Khan Hospital at Tehran University of Medical Sciences with Pap smears, of whom 100 returned with ASCUS. After six months, each subject underwent a standard cytology (conventional Pap smear), human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing (identifying high-risk HPV types with polymerase chain reaction) and colposcopy with multiple cervical biopsies.
Results: Mean age was 44.09 ± 8.6 years. The estimated prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) II or higher was 4%. When histologically verified high-grade lesions (≥ CIN II) were observed, the relative sensitivity of HPV DNA testing was 100% compared with conventional Pap smear, which performed 75% versus 100% relative sensitivity, respectively, using cytological diagnosis high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) as the cut-off. Negative and positive predictive values (NPV and PPV) of Pap test were 98.9% and 100%. The NPV and PPV of HPV DNA testing were 100%.
Conclusions: Although less complicated than colposcopy, the repeat Pap smear triage algorithm for ASCUS may underdiagnose some women with high-grade CIN, when compared with colposcopy. Considering the high sensitivity of HPV testing, it may be useful as an alternative to the current policy of six-month repeat cytology for women with ASCUS results.     

Contribution of human papillomavirus testing by hybrid capture in the triage of women with repeated abnormal pap smears before colposcopy referral

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the ability of testing for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types using the hybrid capture technique to predict the presence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) II,III in patients with repeated atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) on Pap smears. METHODS: Hybrid capture testing and tissue biopsy were performed on 503 consecutive women with ASCUS or LGSIL on repeated Pap smears who were referred for colposcopy. RESULTS: A highly significant association (P < 0.0001) was found between a positive test for high-risk HPV types and CIN II,III, with an 87.0% positive predictive value and a 95.7% negative predictive value. In 226 women with ASCUS on repeated Pap smears, a positive test for high-risk HPV types had a 85.7% sensitivity and a 97% specificity for CIN II,III. In 277 patients with LGSIL on repeated Pap smears, a positive test for high-risk HPV types had an 88.2% sensitivity and a 94.7% specificity for CIN I,II. Reserving colposcopy examination for women who were positive for high-risk HPV types would have reduced the number of referrals for colposcopy to 24.6% and maintained a sensitivity of 87.0% for CIN II,III. CONCLUSIONS: A positive hybrid capture test for high-risk HPV types was highly sensitive and specific for the presence of CIN II,III in patients with ASCUS and LGSIL on repeated Pap smears. We believe that improved methodology will eventually enable more selective colposcopy referrals without affecting patient safety among these women.     

Prospective follow-up suggests similar risk of subsequent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 among women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 or negative colposcopy and directed biopsy

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the risk of cumulative cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 or 3 according to initial colposcopy and directed biopsy results among women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) or human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA positive atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). STUDY DESIGN: A 2-year follow-up of 897 cases of LSIL and 1193 cases of HPV DNA positive ASCUS from the ASCUS/LSIL Triage Study was used to simulate American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Consensus Conference recommendations. Women with CIN grade 1 or less were followed up for 2 years by semiannual cytologic examination, with universal exit colposcopy. The clinical end point was a cumulative clinical center histologic diagnosis of CIN grade 2 or 3. RESULTS: The cumulative risk of CIN grade 2 or 3 was equivalent for LSIL (27.6%) and HPV positive ASCUS (26.7%). After excluding the women with a diagnosis of CIN grade 2 or 3 at initial colposcopy and directed biopsy (17.9%), the remaining women were at nearly identical risk for subsequent CIN grade 2 or 3 regardless of initial colposcopy result (completely negative colposcopy-11.3%; negative colposcopically directed biopsy-11.7%; and CIN grade 1 biopsy-13.0%). CONCLUSION: LSIL and HPV positive ASCUS are clinically equivalent. Initial colposcopic detection of obviously prevalent CIN grade 2 or 3 reduces risk. However, for the remaining women who have CIN grade 1 or less on colposcopy and directed biopsy, the risk for subsequent CIN grade 2 or 3 (whether missed, prevalent, or truly incident) is approximately 12% over 2 years. This risk does not vary meaningfully by initial distinction of histologic CIN grade 1 from negative colposcopy and biopsy.     

HPV检测用于绝经后意义不明的非典型性鳞状细胞患者分流诊治的价值

目的:探讨人乳头状瘤病毒(HPV)检测对绝经后诊断为意义不明的不典型鳞状细胞(atypicalsquamous cells of undetermined significance,ASCUS)绝经后妇女宫颈上皮细胞内瘤样病变(CIN)诊断的临床价值。方法:回顾性分析应用超薄液基细胞技术(TCT)行宫颈脱落细胞学检查进行机会性宫颈癌筛、查诊断为ASCUS的339例绝经后患者的资料,并分析HPV分型检测和阴道镜下宫颈组织活检及病理检查对检出宫颈病变的效率。结果:339例绝经后ASCUS人群中,HPV感染率为23.89%(81/339)。不同年龄区间(47~59岁、60~69岁)HPV感染率分别为28.49%(49/172)和19.16%(32/167),差异有统计学意义(P=0.044)。以病理诊断为高级别CIN(≥CIN2)作为临界终点,分析显示HPV检查用于预测宫颈CIN的敏感度为90.91%(10/11),特异度为78.35%(257/328),阳性预测值和阴性预测值分别为12.34%(10/81)和99.6%(257/258)。结论:HPV检测可用于绝经后患者ASCUS的分流诊治,阴性预测价值高。对于60~69岁绝经后ASCUS患者,若无HPV感染,建议随访,无需立即行阴道镜检查。     

HPV testing as an adjunct to cytology in the follow up of women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Objective  To evaluate human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in combination with cytology in the follow up of treated women.
Design  A prospective study.
Setting  Three UK centres: Manchester, Aberdeen and London.
Population or sample  Women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).
Methods  Women were recruited at 6 months of follow up, and cytology and HPV testing was carried out at 6 and 12 months. If either or both results were positive, colposcopy and if appropriate, a biopsy and retreatment was performed. At 24 months, cytology alone was performed.
Main outcome measures  Cytology and histology at 6, 12 and 24 months.
Results  Nine hundred and seventeen women were recruited at 6 months of follow up, with 778 (85%) and 707 (77.1%) being recruited at 12 and 24 months, respectively. At recruitment, 700 women had had high-grade CIN (grades 2 or 3) and 217 had CIN1. At 6 months, 14.6% were HPV positive and 10.7% had non-negative cytology. Of those with negative cytology, 9% were HPV positive. Of the 744 women who were cytology negative/HPV negative at baseline, 3 women with CIN2, 1 with CIN3, 1 with cancer and 1 with vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN)1 were identified at 24 months. Nine of 10 cases of CIN3/cervical glandular intraepithelial neoplasia (CGIN) occurred in HPV-positive women. At 23 months, cancer was identified in a woman treated for CGIN with clear resection margins, who had been cytology negative/HPV negative at both 6 and 12 months.
Conclusions  Women who are cytology negative and HPV negative at 6 months after treatment for CIN can safely be returned to 3-year recall.     

An analysis of high-risk human papillomavirus DNA-negative cervical precancers in the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study (ALTS)

OBJECTIVE: To describe women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia-grade 3 (CIN-3) diagnosed over the 2-year duration of the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) Triage Study (ALTS) that tested negative for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) at enrollment. METHODS: Clinical center pathologists and quality control pathology group reviewed all histology; any CIN-3 diagnosis on biopsy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure (n=621) by at least one pathology review over the duration of ALTS led to inclusion in this analysis. Enrollment cervical specimens were tested for high-risk HPV DNA by two HPV assays; results were combined to minimize simple testing errors. We compared the characteristics of baseline high-risk HPV-negative (n=33) to baseline high-risk HPV-positive (n=588) cumulative diagnosed CIN-3. RESULTS: High-risk HPV-negative CIN-3 cases were less likely to have a second, confirming diagnosis of CIN-3 (24% compared with 56%) by the other pathology group, were more likely to be diagnosed later in follow-up, and more likely to be referred into ALTS because of an ASCUS Pap test rather than an LSIL Pap. Upon review of case histories of the 33 baseline high-risk HPV-negative CIN-3 (5.3% of all cases), there was evidence that these cases were due to incident (new) cases (n=12, 1.9%), non-high-risk HPV (n=5, 0.8%), misclassified histology (n=8, 1.3%), and false-negative high-risk HPV (n=8, 1.3%). CONCLUSION: In any sizeable population, even among women with evidence of cytologic abnormalities, there will be a few cases of cervical precancer that will test high-risk HPV negative for one or more reasons.     

Human papillomavirus type 16 and 18 detection in the management of mild dyskaryosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if semi-quantitative human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 detection by polymerase chain reaction can increase the sensitivity and specificity of repeat cytology alone for underlying high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). DESIGN: Prospective randomised study of immediate treatment and surveillance. SETTING: A dedicated colposcopy clinic serving a regional population. SAMPLE: Three hundred and four women with smears reported as mild dyskaryosis. METHODS: Repeat cytology, HPV 16 and 18 tests, and colposcopy were performed at study entry. Women were randomised to either immediate treatment or surveillance with repeated tests at 6 and 12 months. Unless all study smears were negative, women were treated at study exit by large loop excision of the transformation zone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity and specificity of HPV testing for types 16 and 18 in conjunction with cytology for high grade CIN. RESULTS: Combining repeat cytology with HPV 16 and 18 testing had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 26%, a positive predictive value of 71%, and a negative predictive value of 71%, for underlying high grade CIN. If used to secondary screen in conjunction with repeat cytology for mild dyskaryosis, 88% of women would have been referred for colposcopy on the basis of either test being positive. CONCLUSION: Combining repeat cytology and HPV 16 and 18 detection would result in the majority of women being referred for immediate colposcopy. Taken with an overall default rate of 17%, immediate referral of all women with mild dyskaryosis for colposcopic assessment still appears to be a more effective clinical strategy.     

Prediction of recurrence after treatment for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: the role of human papillomavirus testing and age at conisation

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the accuracy of the presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA (HR-HPV DNA test) postconisation as prediction of recurrent or residual cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) after treatment of high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions (CIN2+) in a prospective study and to compare this with follow-up cytology and the marginal status of the excised tissue. DESIGN: Prospective follow-up study. SETTING: Unselected women presenting at colposcopy clinic of University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven. POPULATION: Seventy-two women treated with conisation for CIN2 or CIN3. METHODS: Women were followed by HR-HPV DNA test (Hybrid Capture II test of Digene) every 3 to 6 months. The same vial was used for cytology and the HR-HPV DNA test (SurePath). All women were further followed by colposcopy and cytology for 24 months at 6-month intervals. The outcome of the study was presence of >CIN2, proven with colposcopy-directed biopsy occurring within 24 months after treatment. HR-HPV status was correlated with recurrent or residual CIN2+. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and diagnostic odds ratios to predict treatment failure or cure were computed for HR-HPV testing, marginal status and follow-up cytology. HR-HPV status was also correlated with section margins postconisation and with the first cervical smear. RESULTS: In 6 of the 72 treated women (8%), residual or recurrent CIN occurred. Women with recurrence were significantly older than women without a recurrence (51.5 +/- 9.6 versus 39.8 +/- 12.2 years, P= 0.007). All six women with recurrence were HR-HPV positive, four had a positive follow-up smear (>or=atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance = ASCUS+) and only two had involved section margins. Among the 66 cured women, 15 were HR-HPV positive, 6 had an abnormal smear and 12 had positive section margins. Sensitivity of cytology, positive section margins and HR-HPV DNA positivity was 66.7, 33.3 and 100% to predict treatment failure. Specificity of the three tests was, respectively, 90.9, 81.8 and 77.3%. Women with HR-HPV DNA at 3 to 6 months showed recurrent or residual CIN in 15% (2/13) if they had normal follow-up Pap smears and in 50% (4/8) if they had abnormal Pap smears. Margin status was not statistically significantly associated with human papillomavirus status. CONCLUSION: Persistence or clearance of HR-HPV DNA is an early valid prognostic marker of failure or cure after treatment for CIN2+ and is more accurate than cytology or section margin status at the time of conisation. The absence of HR-HPV DNA has a 100% negative predictive value. Higher age at conisation may be a previously unrecognised risk factor for recurrence.     

Human papillomavirus testing improves the accuracy of colposcopy in detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

To assess the performance of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing and colposcopy in detection of cervical pathology. A series of 389 women referred for colposcopy due to an abnormal Pap smear had cervical swabs analyzed for oncogenic (high-risk [HR]) HPV types using Hybrid Capture II (HC2) assay. Loop electrical excision procedure cone biopsy (88%) or colposcopic biopsy (11%) was used as the gold standard. Of the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) smears, 48% were positive for HR HPV, as compared to 76.3% of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) smears. HR HPV was detected in 66.7% and 90% of patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1 and CIN2 (or higher), respectively. The sensitivity of the Pap smear using an ASCUS threshold in detecting high-grade CIN was 94.5% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 91-97%) and that of colposcopy 98.5% (95% CI: 95-99%). The respective specificities were 30% (95% CI: 17-28%) and 35.6% (CI: 29-42%). HC2 test had comparable sensitivity, 90% (95% CI: 85-93%), but higher specificity, 54.3% (95% CI: 47-61%). Combining HC2 test with Pap increased specificity, 66.7% and 41.3% for ASCUS and LSIL cutoff, respectively. The minor-abnormality threshold together with HC2 increased specificity of colposcopy with no changes in sensitivity. High viral load (>100 relative light unit/positive control) was associated with significant disease. HPV DNA testing improves the accuracy of colposcopy in the detection of high-grade CIN in women with ASCUS or LSIL smears.