Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026
Profiling of Estrogen-regulated MicroRNAs in Breast Cancer Cells
Published on: February 21, 2014
The diagnostic accuracy of two methods for E6&7 mRNA detection in women with minor cytological abnormalities
George Koliopoulos1, Charalambos Chrelias, Asimakis Pappas
13rd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece. georgekoliopoulos@yahoo.com
Objective:
To examine the diagnostic accuracy of nucleic acid sequence based amplification (NASBA) and flow cytometry for E6&7 human papillomavirus (HPV) mRNA detection in the triage of minor cytological abnormalities.
Design:
Prospective diagnostic accuracy study.
Setting:
Gynecology outpatient clinics of a university hospital.
Population:
472 women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) or atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS).
Methods:
Residual material of the liquid-based smears was tested by NASBA and by flow cytometry for E6&E7 mRNA expression. Histological diagnosis was used as reference standard.
Main Outcome Measures:
Accuracy indices of the two techniques and of type 16-specific NASBA for the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+ and CIN3+, accuracy indices at age >35 years, correlation between NASBA and flow, comparison between integrated and episomal high-risk HPV infection for risk of CIN2+.
Results:
Both tests showed increased positivity rates with increasing severity of the lesion (p < 0.05, chi-squared test for trend). There was a positive correlation between NASBA and flow results (phi coefficient = 0.325). NASBA-positive cases were more likely to have CIN2+ than were NASBA-negative/DNA-positive for types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45 (25/73 vs. 4/52, p= 0.0004; Fisher's exact test). In the LSIL group the NASBA accuracy indices for CIN3+ were: sensitivity 75%, specificity 78.7% and positivity rate 20.8%, and for flow 77.8%, 64.5% and 35.9%, respectively.
Conclusions:
NASBA has favorable specificity and positivity rates for triaging LSIL prior to colposcopy. A relatively low sensitivity warrants cytological surveillance of the NASBA-negative LSILs. Flow cytometry does not perform as well overall.
