HPV-DNA testing

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is related to cervical cancer in 99% of cases. Most often high risk subtypes concerning the malignant diseases of the female genital tract are the types 16 and 18. More than 30 different subtypes of HPV are identified in female genital system. The collection technique of cells population for HPV-DNA testing is similar to the PAP smear, while the storage of cells population is critical for the further examination of the collected cervical cells (Figure 1).

HPV-DNA testing can be used for the triage of patients with cervical pathology, who need further therapeutic approach of observation. In addition HPV-DNA testing can be used for screening test mainly for women > 30 years old. Different methods, molecular or mRNA, have been introduced (Hybrid Capture2, APTIMA) to recognize the HPV positivity and even more to identify the subtype of HPV infection. The sensitivity of HPV-DNA test is higher than PAP smear according the scientific reports, however the sensitivity for high grade lesion (HGSIL) such as CIN2 and CIN3 (Cervical Intraepithelial Lesion) is similar or even less compare with PAP test.