![]() HPV DNA tests have excellent sensitivity (around 95%) for CIN2 or higher, but specificity is low (ranging in the 20s and 30s). 10ĭNA testing for HPV has become a useful addition for women with abnormal Pap results. In the U.S., about 8% to 10% of women screened have abnormal Pap test results each year. The Pap test is subjective, relies upon visual examination and interpretation by the cytopathologist, and has significant inter-laboratory variations. The most common screening test is a liquid-based cytology (LBC), or Papanicolaou (Pap), test, in which cervical cells are collected using a cervical swab and then analyzed under the microscope. 8 Today, 50 to 60 million American women are screened annually to find the fewer than 1% who have high-grade cervical disease (known as CIN2 or CIN3) or cancer-the stages at which treatment is useful. Such tests could reduce the number of unnecessary procedures substantially, save millions of women from related fear, anxiety, and pain, and lower healthcare costs.Ĭurrent screening methods for cervical cancerĪlthough cervical cancer was once the leading cause of cancer death for women in the U.S., the number of cases and deaths has declined significantly due to widespread use of screening tests to find and treat precancerous cervical lesions before they turn into cancer. The current challenge is to develop tests that best distinguish self-resolving HPV infections from infections that are progressing to precancer and cancer. 7 However, among the many viruses classified as HPV, persistent infections with 14 “high-risk” HPV (hrHPV) types can cause cellular changes that may lead to high-grade cervical disease and cancer.Īs our understanding of the natural history of HPV continues to grow, so too does our understanding of the importance of the role of HPV testing in cervical cancer screening and detection. 5,6 Most HPV infections (~90%) self-resolve within two years. Today, more than 42% of women have genital HPV infections, and nearly 7% of adults have oral HPV infections. 3Īpproximately 75% of women and 50% of men in the United States will be infected with HPV 4 during their lives. 1,2 HPV infections also cause other cancers the incidence of HPV-associated anal and oropharyngeal cancers has been rising, with new cases of more than 30,000 and 12,000, respectively, in the U.S. In 2013, an estimated 12,340 women in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,030 are expected to die of the disease. Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infections.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |