Routine Cervical Cancer Screening Research Articles

Comparison of Different HPV-based Strategies and Cytology in Routine Cervical Cancer Screening Programme in China: A Population-based Study.

The study aimed to compare the performance of human papillomavirus (HPV)-based strategies to cytology for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) in routine program in China. The study included 50,434 women ages 30-64 years from January 2015 to December 2019, to assess four strategies: cytology with HPV triage (strategy 1), primary HPV testing with reflex cytology (strategy 2), primary HPV testing with HPV-16/18 genotyping and reflex cytology for non-16-18 high-risk HPV genotypes (strategy 3), and co-testing (strategy 4). The main outcomes were sensitivity for CIN3+ and colposcopy referral rate. Overall, the rates of HPV positivity and cytologic abnormality were 7.0% [95% confidential interval (CI), 6.8-7.2] and 3.5% (95% CI, 3.3-3.6], respectively. The sensitivity for CIN3+ were 88.5% for strategy 4, 83.2% for strategy 3, 64.6% for strategy 1, and 60.1% for strategy 2. The relative sensitivity of strategy 4 and strategy 3 compared with strategy 1 for detecting CIN3+ were 1.38 (95% CI, 1.24-1.54) and 1.29 (95% CI, 1.14-1.46), respectively. The colposcopy referral rates of strategies 4 and 3 were significantly higher than that of strategy 1 (2.4% and 2.2% vs. 1.4%, P < 0.001). In conclusion, co-testing and primary HPV testing with HPV-16/18 genotyping and reflex cytology improved the sensitivity for CIN3+ compared with cytology but increased the colposcopy referral rate. Long-term negative predicted value for HPV-negative women should be studied to determine the screening interval. Our study provides further evidence to the introduction of HPV-based strategies in China. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: Both co-testing and primary HPV testing with HPV-16/18 genotyping and reflex cytology triage provided higher sensitivity for detecting CIN3+; however, the number of colposcopy referrals also increased compared with cytology in a routine program. It has great public health implications for the introduction of HPV-based screening strategies in China.

Nationwide Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection in China.

Extended high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) genotype testing has recently been introduced in routine cervical cancer screening. Changes in national and regional hrHPV genotype prevalence offer an objective baseline indicator of the future impact of mass HPV vaccination and HPV-based cervical screening. This retrospective study reports nationwide hrHPV genotyping results from July 2018 to June 2019 in 29 KingMed Diagnostics laboratories throughout China. In total, 2,458,227 hrHPV genotyping results were documented from KingMed's nationwide laboratory database during the study period. The overall prevalence of hrHPV-positive results was 19.1%, with twin peaks for highest hrHPV infection rates in women younger than 30 years of age (22.0%) and 50 years of age and older (21.8%). The most frequently detected hrHPV genotypes were HPV-52 (4.7%), HPV-16 (3.4%), HPV-53 (2.5%), HPV-58 (2.4%), HPV-51 (2.0%), and HPV-68 (1.6%). Overall, hrHPV-positive results varied regionally from 15.3% to 24.4%. Nationwide hrHPV genotyping results from KingMed laboratories offer a baseline for measuring the future impact of large-scale HPV vaccination. High hrHPV infection rates in older (≥50 years) Chinese women likely reflect the limited extent of cervical screening in China. High rates of hrHPV infection and variable regional hrHPV genotype distribution may represent limiting factors for cost-effective implementation of hrHPV-based cervical screening in China.

Impact of Health Promotion Intervention on Perception and Knowledge on Cervical Cancer and Screening among Women in Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Cervical cancer is a major cause of death among women in the world with majority of the deaths occurring in developing countries like Kenya. Developed countries have organized screening that has helped in the early detection and screening of cervical cancer, in turn reducing mortality from the disease. There is a need to assist the women at risk to enroll into a routine cervical cancer screening program. This study assessed the impact of health promotion on individual perception and knowledge on uptake cervical cancer and screening among women at risk in Kirinyaga Central sub-county in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. The study adopted a randomized control study design with a sample size of 206 women aged between 25- 69 years were proportionately distributed in in the 4 wards. Respondents were randomized into control and intervention arms. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. Analysis was done using, thematic content for qualitative data; descriptive statistics was used to summarize categorical variables. Bivariate analysis using the Fisher exact and Chi-square was also applied. Factors with a p&lt;0.05 were further analyzed in multivariate analysis. Respondents who had a high perception of being susceptible to cervical cancer were 4.26 times most likely to attend cervical cancer screening than those who did not. Respondents who had a high perception of cervical cancer being a serious disease were 3.46 times more likely to adhere to cervical cancer screening compared to those who did not. This study recommends to the management of Kirinyaga County and Kerugoya County Referral Hospital to provide health education through provider initiated calls through the mobile phone technology with the aim of bringing positive perception on importance of cervical cancer screening.

Evaluation of ILEX SelfCerv for Detection of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infection in Gynecology Clinic Attendees at a Tertiary Hospital in South Africa

Background: The SelfCerv Self-Collection Cervical Health Screening Kit (Ilex Medical Ltd., Johannesburg, South Africa) is an applicator tampon designed for self-collection of vaginal samples for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and E6/E7 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The study aimed to evaluate the performance of the SelfCerv applicator tampon for the detection of hr-HPV for cervical cancer screening, and further to investigate women’s experiences and preferences regarding self-sampling. Methods: Vaginal samples were collected from 527 gynecology clinic attendees aged ≥18 years at a tertiary hospital in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Self-samples were collected using the SelfCerv kit, followed by endocervical samples collected by a healthcare professional using Cervex-Brush® Combi. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on self-sampling experiences and preferences. Both samples were tested for 14 high-risk (hr) HPV types and E6/E7 mRNA using the Abbott RealTime HR-HPV and Aptima HR-HPV mRNA assays, respectively. Results: The overall agreement for hr-HPV typing between 527 paired samples was good (87.1%; κ =0.74) with high sensitivity (86.2%) and specificity (88.0%). HPV-16 (96.4%; κ = 0.83) had higher agreement rate than HPV-18 (96.8%; κ = 0.72) and the other 12 hr-HPVs (86.5%; κ = 0.72). Two hundred and eighty-five (285) sample pairs tested for E6/E7 mRNA showed fair agreement (70.2%; κ= 0.34). Furthermore, self-sampling was reported as comfortable (90.5%) and painless (86.7%), with 88.4% of women preferring self-collection. Conclusions: Self-collected samples had good agreement with the healthcare professional-collected samples for the detection of hr-HPV DNA and the procedure was highly preferred by women. Self-sampling using SelfCerv can be used as an alternative to healthcare professional sampling in clinic-based routine cervical cancer screening.

Accuracy of combined molecular and morphology-based triage for HPV-positive women in routine cervical cancer screening services from Colombia

WHO cervical cancer elimination goals comprise 70% of highly-sensitive screening coverage and 90% treatment of precancerous lesions. Triage for HPV-positive women may challenge sensitivity of screening algorithms and women's follow-up, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where screening quality and protocol adherence are frequently deficient. We aimed to determine the accuracy of triage for HPV positive women in routine screening services from Colombia by a prospective cross-sectional study. Consecutively, HPV DNA-positive women underwent six triage strategies (conventional cytology, two methods of visual inspection, HPV16/18/45-genotyping, telomerase, and HPV mRNA). Positive triage results underwent regular colposcopy/biopsy in public hospitals. Adjusted sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for CIN2+/CIN3+ were estimated for stand-alone and combined tests. We explored the impact of triage strategies on referral rates and the complete screening algorithm (screening plus triage). Overall 16,242 women underwent HPV screening and 1789 (11.0%) were HPV-positive. In total, 20.1% of women were lost to follow-up. mRNA showed the highest positivity rate (0.64 among HPV-positive and 0.05 among the total screened cohort), the highest sensitivity (0.94 95%CI 0.75–0.96), and the lowest specificity (0.36 95%CI 0.29–0.43). Parallel testing with HPV-mRNA revealed the highest increase in sensitivity for all triage strategies. Accuracy of cytology and visual inspection differ between screening units but parallel testing with HPV16/18/45 genotyping significantly increased their sensitivity (over 0.80). Morphology-based triage for HPV-positive women remains a suitable alternative for routine practice in LMIC if combined with HPV16/18/45-genotyping; however, point-of-care triage would be preferable to reduce losses to follow-up. HPV-mRNA triage deserves cost-benefit analyses.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) in pregnancy – An update

Human papilloma viruses (HPV) are small epitheliotropic DNA viruses, of which there are 200 genotypes, 40 of which are known to cause genital infections and are also oncogenic. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Clinical features vary from asymptomatic (identified at routine cervical cancer screening) to large lesions on the vulva, vagina, cervix and some extragenital sites. Its prevalence in pregnancy varies from 5.5% to 65% depending on age, geography and gestational age (increasing with gestational age). Infection in pregnancy has been associated with adverse outcomes such as spontaneous miscarriage, preterm birth, placental abnormalities and fetal growth restriction. However, the evidence for these adverse outcomes is varied. Besides being oncogenic (and thus associated with cancer of the cervix in pregnancy), vertical transmission to the fetus/neonate can cause neonatal infections, especially juvenile-onset recurrent oral and respiratory papillomatosis (JORRP). Where there are very large lesions on the vulva, delivery may be obstructed. Diagnosis in pregnancy is mainly by viral PCR or from the clinical appearance of the characteristic lesions on the vulva. Treatment is local by either surgical or laser excision or application of trichloroacetic acid. Podophyllin/podophyllotoxin is contraindicated in pregnancy. HPV Infection is not an indication for caesarean delivery as this has not been shown to prevent vertical transmission. For those diagnosed at routine cervical cancer screening, management should follow guidelines for cervical cancer screening in pregnancy. Vaccination is currently not recommended for pregnant women, although studies on those inadvertently vaccinated in pregnancy have not shown any adverse effects on either the fetus or mother.

Repeated Positive Cervical HPV Testing and Absent or Minor Cytology Abnormality at Pap Smear. What is the Next Step?

Background:Human papillomavirus (HPV) screening has significantly reduced cervical cancer (CC) mortality. Women who consecutively test positive for high-risk HPV without and minor changes on reflex cytology (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASC-US] or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [LSIL]) or dysplasia on cervical colposcopy-oriented biopsy are always referred to colposcopy. The aim of the present study was to assess whether this guidance is appropriate for COBAS HPV testing with reflex cytology. Methods:A cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out in 5,227 women who underwent routine CC screening over a period of five years (2012-2017). All HPV tests were performed using Cobas®4800 HPV. The study included women attending gynecology appointments whose first HPV test was positive and who had any type of follow-up. Patients’ HPV test results as well as cytology and biopsy findings obtained during the abovementioned period were analyzed. A descriptive and comparative statistical study was conducted using this data. Results:A total of 765 out of 6003 HPV tests performed in 5,227 women were positive, and 141 women who had a positive HPV test (with negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy [NILM] or inflammation, or ASC-US and LSIL cytology, but no lesions on colposcopy, or absence of dysplasia on histology) repeated the HPV test at least once. Of these 141 women, 6 were diagnosed with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) during the follow-up period. All cases of HSIL were diagnosed after the second HPV test. Conclusion:This study shows that, at cervical cancer screening, all women testing positive for HPV regardless of Pap smear result should be referred to colposcopy.

Prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus and cervical lesion risk factors: A population-based study in Zhejiang, China 2010-2019.

This study investigates the epidemiological characteristics of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) and analyzes the risk of cervical lesions among women in Zhejiang province, China. HPV data were collected retrospectively from a cohort of 67 742 women who underwent routine cervical cancer screening from 2010 to 2019. Precancerous and cervical cancer cases (n = 980) were histologically diagnosed as a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL; n = 341) or a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL; n = 499) and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) (n = 140) groups. Disordered logistic regression analysis was used to test the relationship between different degrees of cervical lesions, HPV16/18 infection status, positive rate of p16INK4a (p16), Ki-67 expression, and patient's age in SIL and ICC (270/980 cases) patients. HPV52 (4.7%) was the most prevalent HPV type, followed by HPV16 (3.3%) and HPV58 (2.6%). HPV16 was the most common HPV in SIL, peaking at the age of 30-39. The HPV16 infection rate was significantly higher in HSIL than in LSIL patients; moreover, HPV16, HPV18, and HPV51 infection rates were significantly higher in ICC patients than in HSIL (Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.0167). The presence of HPV16/18 was also associated with a higher risk of developing HSILfrom LSIL(odds ratio [OR] = 9.198, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.76-127.49). The increased p16 expression and HPV16/18 were associated with the increased risk of cancer progression (OR = 1.092, 95% CI: 1.03-1.36; OR = 1.495, 95% CI: 1.23-2.19, respectively). The identified hrHPV genotypes in cervical lesions can serve as a baseline indicator for future vaccine assessment in Zhejiang, China.

Accuracy of Combined Molecular and Morphology-Based Triage for HPV-Positive Women in Routine Cervical Cancer Screening Services From Colombia

Background: WHO target goals for cervical cancer elimination comprise 70% screening coverage and treatment of 90% of precancerous lesions; however, these goals are hard to achieve in real-world settings given the variability in screening and diagnostic quality and adherence. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in routine screening services. HPV DNA-positive screened women underwent six triage strategies (conventional cytology, two methods of visual inspection, HPV-genotyping, telomerase, and HPV mRNA). Positive triage results underwent regular colposcopy/biopsy in public hospitals. Adjusted sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for CIN2+/CIN3+ were estimated for stand-alone and combined tests. We explored the impact of screening units and the triage strategy on referral rates and the complete screening algorithm (screening and triage). Findings: 16,242 women underwent HPV screening and 1,789 (11·0%) were HPV-positive. In total, 20·1% of women were lost to follow-up. mRNA showed the highest positivity rate (64·1% for HPV-positive and 5·7% for the total screened cohort), the highest sensitivity (0·94) and the lowest specificity (0·36). Co-testing with mRNA had the highest improvement in sensitivity and cytology the second highest. Co-testing with HPV genotyping significantly increased the sensitivity of cytology and visual inspection (close to 0.90). Sensitivity, but not specificity, was significantly different between screening units for cytology and visual inspection. Interpretation: Morphology-based triage for HPV-positive women is a suitable alternative for routine practice in low and middle-income settings if combined with HPV-genotyping; however, point-of-care triage is preferred to reduce losses to follow-up. mRNA triage deserves cost-benefit analysis. Funding: Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia de Colombia Declaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: The protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee at the National Cancer Institute of Colombia (INC) and informed consent was provided by every participant.

Prevalence of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV 16/18) infection, cervical lesions and its associated factors among women aged 21-49 years in Amhara region, Northern Ethiopia.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is considered as the major risk factor for the development of cervical cancer, second most frequent cancer in Ethiopia. However, the magnitude of the problem and the associated factors remain unrevealed in the Amhara region. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HPV infection and factors contributing to the progression of HPV infection to cervical cancer. Facility-based cross-sectional study design was employed among women aged 21 to 49 years of age who came for routine cervical cancer screening to 4 randomly selected hospitals (2 general and 2 referral) of Amhara region from May to October, 2019. The sample size was calculated by using the single population proportion formula, proportionated to hospitals, and women were recruited consecutively. Socio demographic and clinical data were collected using a pretested questionnaire and detection of HPV infection was done using HPV test (OncoE6TM Cervical Test) specific to HPV16/18 in cervical swabs. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) was used to determine cervical lesions (precancerous and cancerous). Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to describe HR-HPV and cervical lesions burden and association between HR-HPV, and cervical lesions and potential risk factors. Among 337 women 21 to 49 years (median age of 35 years ±SD = 7.1 years) of age enrolled in the study, The overall prevalence of oncogenic HPVs (HPV16/18) and the VIA-positivity rate, possible an indicative of cervical lesions, were 7.1% and 13.1%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between early age of first sexual intercourse (COR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.0-5.05) and level of education (COR = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.12-0.78) with cervical lesions. Higher odds of HPV positivity (COR = 1.56; 95% CI: 0.59-4.11, p = 0.36) and VIA positivity (COR = 1.39; 95% CI: 0.64-3.00, p = 0.39) were observed among participants who had a history of sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs). There was a relatively low prevalence of oncogenic HPV 16/18 and VIA-positivity in women attending four hospitals in the Amhara Region. Early age sexual contact, high parity, and being uneducated/low level of education were independently associated factors with HR-HPV infection and development of cervical lesions, highlighting the importance of prioritizing the limited HPV testing to those risk groups.

Preinvasive cervical lesions and high prevalence of human papilloma virus among pregnant women in Cameroon.

With the exception of breast cancer, gynecologic neoplasms constitute the most common cancers that complicate pregnancy. Pregnancy therefore presents a window of opportunity for all pregnant women who do not take part in routine free cervical cancer screening program to undergo a free voluntary cytological test and human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing. This study aimed to determine prevalent HPV genotypes among pregnant women using exfoliated cells from cervical swabs and determine risk factors responsible for the upsurge of cervical precancerous lesions. In a cross-sectional study conducted from October 2017 to March 2018, a total of 482 pregnant women were enrolled. Cervical swabs and samples for cytology were collected from each enrolled participant during their routine prenatal consultation. The Papanicolaou's (Pap) staining technique was performed and all cervical swab samples were amplified through conventional PCR. HPV genotypes were identified using the Roche Linear Array Genotyping Assay. SAS 9.2 software (SAS Institute Inc., USA) was used for statistical analysis and p values >0.05 were considered significant. Among the 482 participants, 354 (73.4%) had normal cytology and 128 (26.6%) had abnormal cytology. HPV DNA was identified in 62/464 (13.4%). The most prominent HPV types identified were HPV 16 (24%), HPV 18 (36.4%), HPV 45 (28%), HPV 53 (18.9%) and HPV 67 (24.3%). Early intercourse, number of sexual partners and age at first pregnancy were some of the risk factors that influenced the etiology of preinvasive cervical lesion. Prevalent HPV types identified in our study were HPV 16, 18, 45, 53 and 67. Organizing effective screening programs in prenatal care facilities is crucial in order to detect prevalent HR-HPV types and precursors for cervical lesions. The addition of HPV vaccination in the national immunization program with focus on the different epidemiological HPV genotypes circulating in the country is warranted.

Cervical screening in foreign domestic workers in Singapore

Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with about 85% occurring in low-middle income countries (LMIC) and an age-standardised incidence rate of more than 15 per 100,000. It is largely preventable through HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening. In Singapore, 18% of the foreign domestic workforce hail from Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, and India. However, there is no data on preinvasive cervical disease and cervical cancer in foreign domestic workers (FDWs) and the aim of this pilot programme is to determine the baseline screen positive rate of high-grade intraepithelial in this population. A total of 322 FDWs were offered HPV screening through the Helping Our Helper (HOH) pilot programme. Data from this pilot programme were analysed and reported using simple descriptive statistics. Out of the 322 FDWs who registered for HPV screening, 68.6% participated. There was a 22.2% screen-positive rate; 10% of those who screened positive for high-risk HPV had histologically confirmed high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. This result is similar to other data on cervical cancer screening in Singaporeans. This pilot project screened less than 1% of the eligible FDWs in Singapore. The findings of this pilot programme suggest that there is public health value in providing cervical cancer screening to FDWs. Improving cervical cancer screening by increasing awareness and including routine cervical cancer screening as part of the employment medical examination should be studied.

Cell pattern abnormalities in cervical pap smear in correlation with age and demography at a Tertiary care centre.

Introduction: Carcinoma Cervix is common all around the globe and ranked third amidst allmalignancies among women. The cervical mucosa undergoes morphologic variation with age andpractising cytopathologists is aware of these difference to make an accurate diagnosis. This studyaimed to detect abnormal cervical epithelial cell patterns in a rural population and compare lesionsor abnormal cell patterns among different age groups. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted in a tertiary care centre at the Department of Pathology over6 months. 408 women were included in the study. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel andanalyzed in SPSS software. Results: Out of 408 women included in the study, the most commonage group of the presentation was 31 to 40 years (36%), followed by 20 to 30 years (24%). NILM-Inflammatory was the most common finding (50%), followed by NILM (36%). The most commonsymptoms of presentation were Menstrual abnormalities (21%), White discharge and pruritus(18%). Findings in younger women were most commonly NILM-Inflammatory &amp; NILM whereas in thepost-menopausal age group, ASCUS, LSIL &amp; HSIL. Conclusion: All women above 30 years of ageshould undergo routine cervical cancer screening, and should continue screening even in theperimenopausal and postmenopausal age. Most women who visited the gynaecology OPD were notaware of cervical cancer screening. Hence the general population has to be educated about thebenefits of pap smear test through medical camps and awareness programs.

Agreement between careHPV and hybrid capture 2 in detecting high-risk HPV in women in Tanzania.

Visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid is used to control the burden of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries. This method has some limitations and HPV DNA testing may be an alternative, but it is expensive and requires a laboratory setup. Cheaper and faster HPV tests have been developed. This study describe the agreement between a fast HPV test (careHPV) and hybrid capture 2 (HC2) in detection of high-risk HPV among Tanzanian women. The study involved women attending routine cervical cancer screening at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Tanzania. The women were offered HIV testing. Two cervical samples were subsequently obtained; the first sample was processed at the clinics using careHPV and the second sample was transported to Denmark and Germany for cytology and HC2 analysis. Kappa statistic was calculated to assess the agreement between careHPV and HC2. The sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of careHPV were calculated using HC2 as reference. The analyses were done for the overall study population and stratified by testing site and HIV status. A total of 4080 women were enrolled, with 437 being excluded due to invalid information, lack of careHPV or HC2 results. Overall agreement between the tests was substantial with a kappa value of 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.72). The sensitivity and specificity of careHPV was 90.7% (95% CI 89.6-91.8) and 84.2% (95% CI 81.2-86.8), respectively. The agreement was similar in the stratified analyses where the kappa values were 0.75 (95% CI 0.70-0.79) in women aged 25-34, 0.66 (95% CI 0.62-0.70) in women aged 35-60, 0.73 (95% CI 0.70-0.77) at the Ocean Road Cancer Institute, 0.64 (95% CI 0.60-0.69) at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, 0.73 (95% CI 0.68-0.79) in HIV-positive and 0.66 (95% CI 0.63-0.70) in HIV-negative women. The kappa value of 0.64 (95% CI 0.39-0.88) for cervical high-grade lesions indicates a substantial agreement between careHPV and HC2 in detecting HPV among women with cervical high-grade lesions. A substantial agreement was found between careHPV and HC2 in detecting HPV overall as well as detecting HPV among women with cervical high-grade lesions. However, given the limited resources available in low and middle-income countries, the HPV testing assay should be weighed against the cost-effectiveness of the test.

Clinical relevance of partial HPV16/18 genotyping in stratifying HPV-positive women attending routine cervical cancer screening: a population-based cohort study.

ObjectiveTo evaluate partial HPV16/18 genotyping as a possible biomarker to select women attending HPV‐based cervical cancer screening at higher risk to be referred to colposcopy.DesignPopulation‐based cohort study.SettingOrganised cervical cancer screening programmes (Italy).PopulationWomen with high‐risk HPV infection (period: 2015–2019).MethodsWe analysed the association between partial HPV16/18 genotyping, cytology triage and histologically confirmed diagnosis of high‐grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN3+) lesions.Main outcome measuresDetection rate (DR) and positive predictive value (PPV) for histologically confirmed CIN3+ (any episode in the 2 years after baseline); sensitivity for CIN3+ and number of colposcopies needed for lesion detection.ResultsThe study included 145 437 women screened with HPV testing by the clinically validated COBAS 4800 HPV assay (Roche). Overall, 9601 (6.6%) women were HPV+ at baseline; HPV16 and HPV18 were present in 1865 and 594 samples, respectively. The cumulative (baseline plus 1‐year repeat) cytology positivity was 42.8% and high‐grade cytology was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) among women with HPV16 infection at baseline (15.2%). The cumulative CIN3+ DR for women with HPV16, HPV18 and other HPV‐type infections was 9.8%, 3.4% and 1.8%, respectively.ConclusionsPartial HPV16 genotyping may play a role in triage, whereas HPV18 seems to behave much more similarly to the other HPV types and does not provide additional stratification. HPV16 genotyping combined with high‐grade cytology can be envisaged as a triage biomarker in cervical screening to maximise CIN3+ detection while minimising colposcopy at baseline or 1‐year repeat.Tweetable abstractHPV16 genotyping combined with high‐grade cytology can be used as triage biomarker for CIN3+ in HPV‐positive women.

Routine Screening for Cervical Cancer

Objective: To describe the screening for uterine cancer by visual methods. Method: We conducted a prospective and descriptive study over a period of 12 months from January to December 2020. Direct observation of providers and interview of patients were performed for data collection. Results: Out of 3400 patients, 1024 were enrolled for the study, or 30.11%. The average age of the patients was 41 years with the extremes of 17 to 87 years. Women aged 40 to 45 were the most represented with 58.78%, (n = 602). Housewives 85.83% (n = 879), they had a primary education level in 71.09% of cases (n = 728), the vast majority were married 92.28% (n = 945). Multiparous represented 58.78% (n = 602) of the sample, nulliparous 18.26% (n = 187), women living in rural areas 30.17% (n = 309), in urban areas 69.82% (n = 715). The test was positive in 43 patients (4.19%) but squamocylindrical junction was not visible in 17% of cases. The preparation of acetic acid and lugol: good preparation in 100% of cases; the conditions of use are not respected in 27% for acetic acid and 38% for lugol. Conclusion: Routine screening for cervical cancer (SCC) by visual methods is essential to decrease the incidence of invasive cervical cancer.

Automatic Classification of Cervical Cells Using Deep Learning Method

Cervical cancer is the fourth most prevalent disease among women. Prompt diagnosis and its management can significantly improve patients’ survival rates. Therefore, routine screening for cervical cancer is of paramount importance. Herein, we explore the potential of a deep learning model to automatically distinguish abnormal cells from normal cells. The ThinPrep cytologic test dataset was collected from the fourth central hospital of Baoding city, China. Based on the dataset, four classification models were developed. The first model was a 10-layer convolutional neural network (CNN). The second model was an advancement of the first model equipped with a spatial pyramid pooling (SPP) layer (CNN + SPP) to treat cell images based on their sizes. Based on the first model, the third model replaced the CNN layers with the inception module (CNN + Inception). However, the fourth model incorporated both the SPP layer and the inception module into the first model (CNN + inception + SPP). The performances of the four models are estimated and compared by using the same testing data and evaluation index. The testing results demonstrated that the fourth model yields the best performance. Moreover, the area under the curve (AUC) for module four was 0.997.

Cervical cancer and precancerous cervical lesions detected using visual inspection with acetic acid at Livingstone Teaching Hospital.

Introduction:cervical cancer (CaCx) is the second most common malignancy in women world-wide. Precancer screening aided by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) is an early diagnosis method used to detect the lesions that are high indicators of cancer in women. cervical cancer is more prevalent in the developing world affecting mainly women in the reproductive age group and is the commonest cancer among Zambian women. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with a positive VIA at Livingstone Teaching Hospital (LTH).Methods:this was a cross-sectional study conducted at LTH among 329 women from Livingstone district aged 18 and above, who were coming for routine cervical cancer screening using VIA between 2019 and 2020. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the CaCx clinic. A positive VIA (precancerous cervical lesions) and cervical cancer were the primary and secondary outcome variables. A positive VIA was defined by presence of a dense ulcerative acetowhite area in the transformation zone of the cervix. Cervical cancer diagnosis was defined by presence of cancerous cells on histological examination by a qualified pathologist. Data were analyzed using Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney and logistic regression were the statistical methods used.Results:the participants had a median (interquartile range) age of 37 (29, 44) years. Prevalence of CaCx and positive VIA were 6% (95% confidence interval (CI) 4, 9) and 19% (95% CI: 15, 24) respectively. At multivariable analysis, the factors associated with a positive VIA were alcohol consumption [odds ratio (OR) 0.30 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.74)] and HIV infection [OR 0.37 (95% CI: 0.19, 0.70)].Conclusion:the study showed that precancerous cervical lesions are common among our study participants and it was influenced by alcohol consumption and HIV status. There is therefore need to enhance the screening programs using VIA in order to identify cancerous lesions at an early stage for early intervention in resource limited settings.

DNA ploidy measurement and human papillomavirus in abnormal cervical cytology.

To compare the efficacy of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) and DNA image cytometry (DNA-ICM) status for identifying high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or worse (≥CIN2). This cross-sectional study was performed in women undergoing follow-up procedure after a previous abnormal cervical cytology. Cervical cells were collected for HPV detection and DNA ploidy measurement. Biopsy samples were taken for histological confirmation. Sensitivity and specificity values for ≥CIN2 detection with HR-HPV and DNA-ICM were determined. HR-HPV was present in 74.5% of the women. The most frequent HPV infection was HPV 16, followed by HPV 31, 33 and 58. Aneuploidy was observed in 60.6% of all cases. Referral cytology revealed 78.0% sensitivity and 68.6% specificity for detecting a≥CIN2 lesion. The HR-HPV test alone showed 92.7% sensitivity, albeit it was not statistically different from DNA-ICM (88.1%, P>.05). Positivity for HPV or DNA-ICM resulted in 100% sensitivity. Higher specificity was observed for the combination of HR-HPV and DNA-ICM (88.6%), with no difference from DNA-ICM alone (85.7%, P>.05). DNA-ICM or HR-HPV positivity identified all cases of≥CIN2 in women undergoing follow-up procedure after a previous abnormal cervical cytology. Routine cervical cancer screening could be improved by the incorporation of DNA-ICM as a complementary method to primary screening to identify which women need closer follow-up.

Primary HPV screening for cervical cancer: Results after two screening rounds in a regional screening program in Finland.

Since 2012, cervical cancer screening has been conducted with a primary high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) test and conventional cytology triage in the city of Tampere, Finland. The women who were screened with the hrHPV test in 2012 were invited to participate in the second screening round in 2017. The aim of the present report was to compare the number of colposcopy referrals and the number of histological high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL)+ (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN2+]) lesions between the first and second screening rounds of women of a specific age group who were screened twice with the hrHPV test. The primary hrHPV test used was the RealTime hrHPV PCR assay by Abbott. Women with a positive hrHPV test and cytology triage equal to or worse than low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or atypical glandular cells, favor neoplasia, were directly referred to colposcopy, whereas hrHPV-positive women with a negative or equivocal cytology triage were re-screened after approximately 12-16months. hrHPV-negative women were scheduled for re-screening after 5years. The present report focuses on the cohort of women who were screened twice with the hrHPV test, who were 35-55years old in 2012, and 40-60years old in 2017. In all, 8076 women were invited for HPV screening in 2012 and 8331 women were invited for the second round 5years later, with attendance rates of 70% and 71%, respectively. Of the women who were screened in 2012, 4571 (69%) belonged to the 35- to 55-year age cohort. In 2017, 4807 (73%) of the women aged 40-60years participated in the screening. In this cohort, 185 (4.0%) colposcopies were performed in the first screening round, compared with 139 (2.9%) in the second round, and the colposcopy rate was 29% smaller in the second round (P=.002). The number of histological HSIL+ cases was 38 (0.8%) during the first screening round and 29 (0.6%) during the second round (P=.220). In the setting of routine organized cervical cancer screening, the initially high colposcopy rate associated with primary HPV screening seems to level off at the second screening round in women who were screened twice with an hrHPV test.