High-risk human papillomavirus type does not predict grade of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine whether HPV testing specificity for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades 2 or 3 could be improved by restricting the range of HPV types classified as 'high-risk'.


METHODS
DNA was extracted from 28 CIN I, nine CIN II and 13 CIN III formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsies. HPV type was determined by General Primer mediated 5+/6+ PCR assay.


RESULTS
The prevalence of specific HPV types among the different grades of CIN and the relationship to the referral smear diagnosis was examined. HPV type-16 alone was more highly associated with CIN grade (p < 0.0001; Specificity = 0.93; Sensitivity = 0.68) than was the group of HPV types collectively classed as high-risk (p = 0.025; Specificity = 0.23; Sensitivity = 1.00).


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest HPV testing specificity could be improved simply by including a separate test for HPV-16. In conjunction with previous studies, the data also suggests redefinition of the high-risk HPV category to take into account the differing degrees of oncogenicity of high-risk HPV types.
Evans
M F
MF
Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
Mount
S L
SL
Vacek
P M
PM
Cooper
K
K
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000145:classification*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*