title: Value of high-risk human papillomavirus 16 deoxyribonucleic acid testing with cytological entities in peri and postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by HPV. Some types of HPV, called high-risk (HR) types may cause cell changes that sometimes lead to cervical cancer. HPV screening has been proposed for symptomatic female population; however, Pap test is the main stay in low resource setting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To detect HR HPV 16 positivity in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women and its association with cytological entities diagnosed on Pap smear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pap smears and cervical scrapes were collected from 230 women consisting of 120 perimenopausal women approaching menopause and 110 postmenopausal women with a cervix after cessation of menstruation and processed as per routine procedure for detection of HR-HPV 16 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Cytologically abnormal HPV 16 negative cases were also tested for other HR-HPV types.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the perimenopausal women 12 (10%) cases were positive for HR-HPV 16 consisting of 6 (5%) abnormal cases and 108 (90%) were HPV 16 negative consisting of 5 (4.1%) abnormal cases. However, among 110 postmenopausal women 14 (12.7%) were positive for HPV 16 DNA consisting of 6 (5.4%) abnormal cases and 96 (87.2%) were HPV 16 negative consisting of 4 (3.6%) abnormal cases. HPV 16 negative abnormal cases (9) were positive for low risk-HPV 6/11 consisting of atypical squamous cells (3) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions-HPV (6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is not much variation in HPV 16 positive cases in peri and postmenopausal women. By combining HPV DNA testing with Pap smear more cases having potential for pre-cancer lesions may be detected; however, HPV test cannot replace the Pap smear in low resource setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology, Institute of Cytology & Preventive Oncology (ICMR), Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Veena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kashyap
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hedau
keywords: Human papillomavirus 16 deoxyribonucleic acid; Pap smear; menopause; uterine cervix