Clinical significance of HPV DNA cotesting in Korean women with ASCUS or ASC‐H

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA cotesting in Korean women with abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) smear results based on colposcopic pathology. A total of 1012 women underwent liquid‐based Pap smears and hybrid capture II HPV DNA tests followed by colposcopy at the Korea University Hospital from January 2007 to May 2012. Of these women, 832 women were included in this retrospective study. The mean patient age was 45.4 ± 13.7 years (range:15–80). The distribution of Pap smear results was normal (4.7%), atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance (ASCUS) (42.1%), low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (26.8%), ASC‐H (7.0%), and high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) (19.5%). In women with ASCUS, none of the 87 HPV‐negative had ≥cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2) (P < 0.001). In women with ASC‐H, only one out of 17 HPV‐negative vs. 14 out of 41 HPV‐positive had ≥CIN2 (P = 0.025). In patients with HSIL, 54.5% of HPV‐negative had ≥CIN2, as compared to 80.8% of HPV‐positive with ≥CIN2 (P = 0.039). Patients were further analyzed by age groups: <30 and ≥30 years. In HPV‐negative women, there was a significant difference in the ratio of ≥CIN2 (30.8% <30 vs. 4.5% ≥30, P = 0.005). When the HPV DNA test was negative in women ≥30, the risk of ≥CIN2 was significantly lower (P < 0.001). HPV DNA cotesting in women with ASCUS and ASC‐H furnish healthcare providers with informative data. There is a lower proportion of ≥CIN2 in HPV‐negative women and a higher proportion of ≥CIN2 in HPV‐positive. When HPV data were further evaluated by age group, the risk of ≥CIN2 was lower in HPV‐negative women, especially in women ≥30. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42:1058–1062. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.