Human papillomavirus absence predicts normal cervical histopathologic findings with abnormal papanicolaou smears: a study of a university-based inner city population.
BACKGROUND
We studied the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) typing in predicting cervical dysplasia in women with abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) test results.


METHODS
A university colposcopy clinic-based consecutive sample of 179 women completed a questionnaire and underwent colposcopy, HPV typing (Hybrid Capture System HPV DNA Assay II; Digene Diagnostics, Gaithersburg, MD, USA), and biopsy (if indicated).


RESULTS
No severe dysplasia was observed in women with low-risk HPV or in women with negative HPV test results who had a low-grade abnormality on the Pap test. High-risk (HR) HPV was present in every case of severe dysplasia on biopsy. The cumulative odds risk for cervical dysplasia was 1.11 in HIV(+) women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion on the Pap test who were older than 21 years of age and HPV-HR(+).


CONCLUSIONS
In the population studied, HPV typing is a valuable adjunct to a low-grade abnormality on the Pap test in predicting the absence of cervical dysplasia on biopsy. Larger prospective population-based studies are needed to study the role of HPV as a negative predictor of disease in cervical dysplasia.
Khanna
N
N
Department of Family Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Greenebaum Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA. Nkhanna@som.umaryland.edu
Brooks
S E
SE
Chen
T T
TT
Simsir
A
A
Gordon
N J
NJ
Taylor
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D014626:Vaginal Smears