HPV Testing-based Cervical Cancer Screening Protocol Detects 60% More Cancers

If you are wondering which test would be best for cervical cancer screening, this clinical trial may contain some important information. The clinical trial investigates the effectiveness of the human papillomavirus testing-based cervical cancer screening protocol for women and compared it to the traditional liquid-based cytology.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, and it is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Cervical cancer screening programs that employ repeated cytology testing of the adult female population with appropriate follow-up have reduced cervical cancer incidence significantly.

The large difference in cervical cancer incidence between countries with and without established screening programs represents indirect evidence of their effectiveness. Many countries offer cervical cancer screening for all women aged between 25 and 69 years, and it has been shown to reduce the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. The discovery of the relationship between HPV infection with cervical cancer has led to the development of HPV-based tests for cervical cancer screening. However, strong clinical data on their effectiveness is required.

Clinical Trial

A team of researchers in Norway conducted a clinical study to evaluate the effectiveness of a new cervical cancer screening protocol that uses primary HPV testing for women aged between 34 and 69 years.

The trial involved more than 157,447 women aged between 34 and 69 years who were screened for cervical cancer using either the new primary HPV testing-based protocol or the traditional cytology-based screening protocol. These women were followed-up for 18 months. The primary endpoint of the study was the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cancer in the two screening groups.

Results

The results of the clinical trial showed that the primary HPV testing-based screening protocol was more effective than the traditional cytology-based protocol in detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer. Specifically, the researchers found that the primary HPV testing-based screening protocol detected 60% more cases of high-grade CIN grade 2 or worse, 40% CIN grade 3 or worse, and 40% cervical cancer compared to the cytology-based protocol.

These findings are significant as they suggest that HPV-based screening may be a better alternative to traditional cytology-based screening in detecting CIN and cervical cancer in middle-aged women.

Overall, the study suggests that the primary HPV testing-based screening protocol is more effective than the old cytology-based protocol for detecting high-grade CIN2+ and identifying women who are at risk of developing cervical cancer.

Conclusion

The clinical trial provides important evidence that primary HPV testing-based cervical cancer screening is more beneficial than the traditional cytology-based protocol for detecting high-grade CIN2+ and identifying women who are at risk of developing cervical cancer. This finding highlights the potential of primary HPV testing-based screening protocols to improve cervical cancer screening and reduce the incidence and mortality of this disease.
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