Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if HPV DNA testing improves the accuracy of detecting possible high-grade cervical lesions in women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US).
Methods: Cervical cytology and Hybrid Capture II (HCII) assay for HPV DNA detection was performed in 10,526 women from July 2005 to July 2007. Two hundred and sixty women with ASC-US underwent colposcopy-directed biopsy to determine the final histologic diagnosis. They were divided into two groups according to the positivity of the HPV DNA test, and the respective biopsy results were compared.
Results: Positive HCII was significantly more associated with CIN 2, CIN 3, and invasive cancer than negative HCII (p < 0.001). The odds ratio of positive HPV DNA testing in detecting high-grade lesions was 7.0 (95% CI; 2.8-17.7).
Conclusion: The HPV DNA test is useful for predicting the severity of lesions of the uterine cervix and formulating decisions with regard to treatment plans.