title: Clinical performance of human papillomavirus E6, E7 mRNA flow cytometric assay compared to human papillomavirus DNA typing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To use flow cytometry to screen cervical samples for the overexpression of human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 and E7 mRNA and compare the performance of this assay with an HPV DNA array for the detection of high-grade cervical lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cervical samples were analyzed for HPV DNA by clinical arrays, and the overexpression of E6 and E7 viral oncogenes was monitored using an HPV mRNA detection kit that quantifies the intracellular HPV E6 and E7 mRNA on a cell-by-cell basis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HPV positivity increased with severity of histologic lesions. On the basis of histology-confirmed CIN 2+ cases the specificity of HPV assay was 73.9% (95% CI 66.07, 80.88), whereas it was 39.3% (95% CI 31.85, 47.1) for the DNA assay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HPV assay provides an early predictor of persistent HPV infection and may improve cervical cancer screening by increasing the specificity of detecting high-grade lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytopathology, Attikon University Hospital, Athens University Medical School, 1 Rimini Street, 12462 Chaidari, Athens, Greece. ckottaridi@gmail.com
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kottaridi
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsiodras
authors.forename: Aris
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spathis
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chranioti
authors.forename: Asimakis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kassanos
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Panayiotides
authors.forename: Petros
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Karakitsos
mesh_terms: D015344:DNA Probes, HPV / Q000235:genetics*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D015344:DNA Probes, HPV; D004279:DNA, Viral; C118860:E6 protein, Human papillomavirus type 6; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger