Extended HPV typing as an efficient alternative within HPV-based screening programs

Area of Science:

• Gynecology
• Oncology
• Virology

Background:

• Cervical cancer screening programs rely on human papillomavirus (HPV) testing.
• Current methods may require additional triage tests for accurate diagnosis.
• Extended high-risk HPV (hrHPV) typing offers a potential improvement for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (CIN3).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate extended hrHPV typing as a standalone method for improving CIN3 detection within an HPV-based screening program.
• To assess the sensitivity and specificity of extended hrHPV genotyping for CIN3 detection.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 5856 women aged 25-65 years participated in a public cervical cancer screening program.
• HPV testing was performed using BD Onclarity™ for individual and pooled hrHPV types, with further identification by Atila AmpFire.
• HPV-positive women (n=691) underwent colposcopy and histological confirmation (n=561).

Main Results:

• HPV-16 alone showed 43.0% sensitivity and 85.4% specificity for CIN3.
• Adding HPV-18, 33, 31, and 39 increased sensitivity to 100% for CIN3 detection, with specificity at 54.5%.
• Extended genotyping (HPV-16/18/33/31/39) achieved 100% sensitivity for CIN3 detection, aligning with international recommendations for colposcopy referral.

Conclusions:

• Extended hrHPV genotyping demonstrates high sensitivity for detecting CIN3.
• This strategy can serve as an effective alternative for CIN3 detection in HPV-based screening programs.
• The findings support the use of extended hrHPV genotyping for improved cervical cancer screening outcomes.