title: 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?
abstract: 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.
  
  
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Center Haaglanden, the Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C W M
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Wensveen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kagie
authors.forename: N J D
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Nagelkerke
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Veldhuizen
authors.forename: J B M Z
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Trimbos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D027383:Papillomaviridae; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*