Adjunctive human papillomavirus DNA testing is a useful option in some clinical settings for disease risk assessment and triage of females with ASC-H Papanicolaou test results.
BACKGROUND
Recent guidelines recommend colposcopy for women with atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (ASC-H). objective: To determine whether adjunctive high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing is useful for disease risk assessment in females with ASC-H Papanicolaou (Pap) test results.


METHODS
High-risk HPV prevalence and histopathologic follow-up data on 1187 females with ASC-H ThinPrep Pap test (TPPT) and hrHPV test results were analyzed.


RESULTS
ASC-H was reported in 1646 (0.59%) [corrected] of 277 400 (270 338 TPPT and 7062 conventional) Pap test results. The difference in ASC-H detection rates between TPPTs and conventional Pap smears was statistically significant (0.60% vs 0.38%; P = .02). High-risk HPV was detected in 589 (49.6%) of 1187 females with ASC-H TPPT and hrHPV testing. The hrHPV DNA-positive rate in females younger than 40 years was 54.7%, significantly higher than the 36.5% in women 40 years and older. Among 505 females with histopathologic follow-up, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 was identified in 32.7% of hrHPV-positive females compared with 1.2% in hrHPV-negative females. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ASC-H cytology in conjunction with hrHPV DNA testing results for detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 were 96.1% versus 100.0%, 54.0% versus 68.4%, 35.8% versus 20.8%, and 98.1% versus 100.0% in females younger than 40 years and women 40 years and older, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that reflex hrHPV testing is a highly useful option for women with ASC-H Pap tests. Females with ASC-H and negative hrHPV testing may be more efficiently managed by follow-up with regular Pap and hrHPV testing rather than universal colposcopy, especially for women 40 years and older.
Bandyopadhyay
Sudeshna
S
Department of Pathology, Magee-Womens Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Austin
R Marshall
RM
Dabbs
David
D
Zhao
Chengquan
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D003127:Colposcopy; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008867:Microtomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014218:Triage; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
D004279:DNA, Viral