Evaluation of HR-HPV testing in diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer

Objective To evaluate the role of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) testing in diagnosis of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2/3+) and cervical cancer.Methods Total 3426 women with known cytologic abnormality tests were subjected to detect high-risk HPV DNA by hybrid capture II and to have established diagnoses by cervical coloposcopy-directed biopsy test.Results Among 3426 women,45 were cervical cancer,670 were CIN 2/3,and 2711 were CIN 1 or other benign lesions based on the cervical histologic results. Compared with the women with CIN 1 or other benign lesions,the women with CIN 2/3+ had higher positive rates of HR-HPV. Higher load of HR-HPV was more common among women with cervical lesions than those without. Fifty-seven women who were transiently HR-HPV positive did not develop CIN2/3+ during follow-up.Conclusions Our data suggest that a high viral load could be used as a short-term marker of CIN 2/3+,and women repeatedly tested positive for HR-HPV are at risk of developing CIN2/3+. Detecting HR-HPV and follow up the positive women would be useful in diagnosis of CIN2/3+.