title: Clearance of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and PAP smear abnormalities in a cohort of women subjected to HPV screening in the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union (the NIS cohort study).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We analysed the temporal relationships of the clearance of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and cytological abnormalities in women participating in a screening study in three NIS countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 274 patients included in this analysis were prospectively followed-up for 21.6 months (range: 0.5-42.9). All 274 women had abnormal PAP test (ASC-US or higher) and high-risk HPV-positive test (HCII) at baseline. Two groups were compared: 132 women who cleared both tests (Group 1), and 142 women who cleared either HPV or abnormal PAP test (Group 2). The first clearance during the follow-up, and the last visit clearance were modeled using life-table techniques, and the predictive factors were analysed using univariate (Kaplan-Meier) and multivariate (Cox) survival analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference in the mean clearance time for the abnormal PAP test (14.4 months; 0.7-40.5 and 12.6 months; 0.5-35.0) and high-risk HPV DNA (12.67 months; 0.6-33.5 and 10.8 months; 0.7-33.4) in Group 1 and Group 2 (Mann-Whitney: P = 0.107 and P = 0.082, respectively). Clearance times for HPV DNA and abnormal PAP test did not deviate from each other in either groups (Wilcoxon: P = 0.063 and P = 0.088). The monthly clearance rates for the abnormal PAP test are 1.32 and 1.38%, and those for the HPV DNA 1.62 and 1.61%, in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Of the factors predicting the last visit clearance, the issues related to smoking are of particular interest.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clearance of high-risk HPV type and abnormal PAP test shows a close temporal relationship, the former preceding the latter, however, by an interval of 1.0-2.0 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Institute of Dentistry, and MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku 2, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland. stina.syrjanen@utu.fi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Syrjänen
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Shabalova
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Petrovichev
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Kozachenko
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zakharova
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pajanidi
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Podistov
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chemeris
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Sozaeva
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Lipova
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsidaeva
authors.forename: O G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Ivanchenko
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Pshepurko
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zakharenko
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nerovjna
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Kljukina
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Erokhina
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Branovskaja
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikitina
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grunberga
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grunberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juschenko
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cintorino
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santopietro
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Syrjänen
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014586:USSR; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral