Identifying HPV Types May Help Manage Cancer Risk in Women With Cervical Abnormalities
Women whose Pap test results are equivocal or mildly abnormal and who are positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 have an increased risk of developing cervical precancer compared with women diagnosed with other HPV types, according to a new study. A second study concludes that distinguishing HPV type 16 and 18 during cervical cancer screening may identify women with normal cervical cytology at greatest risk of cervical precancer and permit less aggressive management of women with other types of HPV infections.
HPV type 16--the most common and oncogenic HPV type--and HPV18 account for 60% to 70% of cervical cancer cases worldwide. Other oncogenic types of HPV are responsible for virtually all remaining cases. A pooled test for 13 types of HPV is currently being used for triage of equivocal cervical cytology results in women of any age and as an adjunct screening test with cervical cytology for women ages 30 and older. However, it was not previously known whether detection of specific HPV types would be clinically helpful in management of cervical cancer risk in women.
To determine the risk of cervical precancer in women with HPV16, Philip E. Castle, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues tested 5,060 women enrolled in a study, the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) Triage Study (ALTS), for HPV16 and other oncogeni
'"/>
Contact: Sarah Zielinski
jncimedia@oupjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
19-Jul-2005