Usefulness of Hybrid Capture II detection of high-risk human papillomavirus in women with abnormal pap-smears of the uterine cervix

• Published in: Enfermedades infecciosas y microbiología clínica Vol. 23; no. 8; pp. 474 - 478
• Main Authors: Tena, Daniel, Garrido, Nuria, Menéndez, José Manuel, Delgado, Juan José, Romanyk, Juan, González, María del Rosario, Zapico, Alvaro, Beltrán, María
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 01.10.2005
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia - pathology; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia - virology; DNA, Viral - analysis; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Papanicolaou Test; Papillomaviridae - genetics; Papillomavirus Infections - diagnosis; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - pathology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - virology; Vaginal Smears; Viral Load
• ISSN: 0213-005X
• DOI: 10.1157/13078825

The objectives of the study were to investigate the usefulness of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) detection in women with abnormal pap-smears as an adjunct to screening by cervical cytology, and to determine the viral load distribution according to the histological grade of the lesions. A total of 75 women were referred for cytological study of atypical cells of unknown origin (ASCUS), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LG-SIL) or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HG-SIL). All patients underwent colposcopy, histological study and HR-HPV detection using the Hybrid Capture II test. In the pap-smear studies, HR-HPV was detected in 31.2% of women with ASCUS and 65.7% with LG-SIL. Histological examination showed HR-HPV in 46.4% of women without lesions, 69.5% of those with LG-SIL and 75% with HG-SIL. Negative predictive values for HG-SIL in women with cytological diagnoses of ASCUS and LG-SIL were 81.8% and 92.3%, respectively. Percentages of infection with high viral load significantly increased in accordance with the histological grade. The Hybrid Capture II test can be useful for the management of women with cytological evidence of ASCUS because of the low prevalence of HR-HPV infection and the high negative predictive value for HG-SIL. The usefulness in women with a cytological diagnosis of LG-SIL is limited due to the high prevalence of HR-HPV infection. High viral load can be a risk factor for the development of premalignant cervical lesions.