TruScreen detection of cervical tissues for high-risk human papillomavirus-infected women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Future Oncol. 2021 Apr;17(10):1197-1207. doi: 10.2217/fon-2020-0928. Epub 2020 Dec 17.

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of TruScreen (TS01) for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) women compared with other methods in reducing colposcopy referral rates in hospitals. Methods: A single-center, prospective, case-control study was conducted from December 2019 to June 2020. Results: Among 139 (46.2%) HR-HPV-positive patients, 58 were CIN1, 52 were CIN2-3 and 29 had cervical cancer (n = 29). The sensitivity and specificity of detecting CIN2+ by TS01, colposcopy and HPV16/18 testing were 96.3% and 46.4%, 85.2% and 40.5% and 59.3% and 74.1%, respectively. The highest sensitivity was 96.3% at HPV16/18 and TS01 (each positive results), and the highest specificity was 83.6% at HPV16/18 and TS01 (both positive) for CIN2+ compared with the other methods. Conclusion: TS01 is a noninvasive screening method and can be used to diagnose cervical lesions quickly. It is especially suitable as triage tool for HR-HPV-positive women facing SARS-CoV-2 exposure and infection risks in hospital.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; TruScreen; cervical cancer; cytology; high-risk HPV.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • Colposcopy
  • Early Detection of Cancer / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Papillomavirus Infections / complications*
  • Prospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Triage / methods
  • Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / diagnosis*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Young Adult