Real-World Performance of HPV DNA-Based Screening in Health Resource-Limited Areas of China: A Multicenter...

Cervical cancer remains a significant health burden in China. National policies now allow human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA as a primary screening test, but many health resource-limited counties have not adopted it because programs cannot fund reagents or laboratory platforms. We conducted a multicenter study in 10 pilot counties where HPV DNA screening was introduced with project-supported reagents, platforms, and training.

We analyzed data from 10 pilot counties designated by the National Cervical Cancer Prevention Program. A total of 63,223 women aged 35 to 64 years were screened with three strategies: (i) cytology alone, (ii) HPV DNA testing with cytology triage, and (iii) HPV DNA testing with visual inspection with acetic acid/Lugol iodine (VIA/VILI) triage. Key indicators included screen positivity rate, colposcopy rate, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+ detection, positive predictive value (PPV), and number needed to refer (NNR). Inverse probability weighting was used to adjust for loss to follow-up.

HPV-based strategies were superior to cytology across all indicators. CIN2+ detection was two to three times higher, with the highest PPV in the HPV + cytology group (21.9%) and the lowest NNR (5.73), indicating higher referral efficiency. Loss to follow-up rate was also significantly reduced under the HPV + VIA/VILI strategy. These advantages were most prominent among women aged ≥45 years.

Within the first year of implementation, HPV DNA-based screening is feasible and more effective in health resource-limited areas of China and flexible triage models can be adapted.

The findings support the integration of HPV DNA testing into national cervical cancer screening programs and highlight needs for robust follow-up systems in underserved populations.