Triage of Women with Low-Grade Cervical Lesions - HPV mRNA Testing versus Repeat Cytology

BACKGROUND: In Norway, women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) are followed up after six months in order to decide whether they should undergo further follow-up or be referred back to the screening interval of three years. A high specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of the triage test is important to avoid unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At the University Hospital of North Norway, repeat cytology and the HPV mRNA test PreTect HPV-Proofer, detecting E6/E7 mRNA from HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45, are used in triage of women with ASC-US and LSIL. In this study, women with LSIL cytology in the period 2005-2008 were included (n = 522). Two triage methods were evaluated in two separate groups: repeat cytology only (n = 225) and HPV mRNA testing in addition to repeat cytology (n = 297). Histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) was used as the study endpoint. RESULTS: Of 522 women with LSIL, 207 had biopsies and 125 of them had CIN2+. The sensitivity and specificity of repeat cytology (ASC-US or worse) were 85.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 72.1, 92.2) and 54.4 % (95% CI: 46.9, 61.9), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the HPV mRNA test were 94.2% (95% CI: 88.7, 99.7) and 86.0% (95% CI: 81.5, 90.5), respectively. The PPV of repeat cytology was 38.4% (95% CI: 29.9, 46.9) compared to 67.0% (95% CI: 57.7, 76.4) of the HPV mRNA test. CONCLUSION: HPV mRNA testing was more sensitive and specific than repeat cytology in triage of women with LSIL cytology. In addition, the HPV mRNA test showed higher PPV. These data indicate that the HPV mRNA test is a better triage test for women with LSIL than repeat cytology

Redegjør for HPV-resultater

Fire Tromsø-leger tilbakeviser kritikk fra Bergen-professor om at de har oversolgt resultater fra sin studie om HPV-testing. De redegjør for hvordan de har fulgt opp kvinner med usikre celleforandringer

HPV E6/E7 mRNA Testing Is More Specific than Cytology in Post-Colposcopy Follow-Up of Women with Negative Cervical Biopsy

BACKGROUND: In Norway, women with negative or low-grade cervical biopsies (normal/CIN1) are followed up after six months in order to decide on further follow-up or recall for screening at three-year intervals. A high specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of the triage test is important to avoid unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures whereas a low risk of high-grade disease among triage negative women assures safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At the University Hospital of North Norway, cytology and the HPV mRNA test PreTect HPV-Proofer, detecting E6/E7 mRNA from HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45, are used in post-colposcopy follow-up of women with negative or low-grade biopsy. In this study, women with negative biopsy after high grade cytology (ASC-H/HSIL) and/or positive HPV mRNA test in the period 2005-2009 were included (n = 520). Histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) was used as study endpoint. RESULTS: Of 520 women with negative or low-grade biopsy, 124 women (23.8%) had CIN2+ in follow-up biopsy. The sensitivity and specificity of the HPV mRNA test were 89.1% (95% CI, 80.1-98.1) and 92.5% (95% CI, 88.2-96.7), respectively. The ratios of sensitivity, specificity and PPV of HPV mRNA testing compared to repeat cytology for finding CIN2+ was 1.05 (95% CI: 0.92-1.21), 1.21 (95% CI: 1.12-1.32), and 1.49 (95% CI: 1.20-1.86), respectively. The PPV of mRNA was 77.3% (95% CI, 59.8-94.8) in women aged 40 or older. CONCLUSION: Women with negative cervical biopsy require follow-up before resumption of routine screening. Post-colposcopy HPV mRNA testing was as sensitive but more specific than post-colposcopy cytology. In addition, the HPV mRNA test showed higher PPV. A positive mRNA test post-colposcopy could justify treatment in women above 40 years

Final analysis of a 14-year long-term follow-up study of the effectiveness and immunogenicity of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in women from four nordic countries

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Background: The quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine prevented vaccine HPV type-related infection and disease in young women in the 4-year FUTURE II efficacy study (NCT00092534). We report long-term effectiveness and immunogenicity at the end of 14 years of follow-up after enrollment in FUTURE II. Methods: Young women (16–23 years of age) from Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden who received three qHPV vaccine doses during the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled FUTURE II base study were followed for effectiveness for an additional ≥10 years through national registries. Tissue samples including but not limited to those collected during organized cervical cancer screening programs were obtained from regional biobanks to be adjudicated for histopathology diagnosis and tested for HPV DNA. The observed incidence of HPV16/18-related high-grade cervical dysplasia (primary outcome) was compared with recent historical background incidence rates in an unvaccinated population. Serum was collected at years 9 and 14 to assess antibody responses. Findings: No cases of HPV16/18-related high-grade cervical dysplasia were observed in the per-protocol effectiveness population (N = 2121; 24,099·0 person-years of follow-up) during the entire study. Vaccine effectiveness of 100% (95% CI 94·7–100) was demonstrated for ≥12 years, with a trend toward continued protection through 14 years post-vaccination. Seropositivity rates at study conclusion were >90% (HPV6/11/16) and 52% (HPV18) using competitive Luminex immunoassay, and >90% (all four HPV types) using the more sensitive IgG Luminex immunoassay. Interpretation: Vaccination of young women with qHPV vaccine offers durable protection against HPV16/18-related high-grade cervical dysplasia for ≥12 years, with a trend toward continued protection through 14 years post-vaccination, and induces sustained HPV6/11/16/18 antibody responses for up to 14 years post-vaccination. There was no evidence of waning immunity, suggesting no need for a booster dose during that period.Funding for this research was provided by Merck Sharp &Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ,USA (MSD).The authors would like to thank the study participants and base-study investigators. In particular, the authors are grateful to SuzanneCampbell, Ragnhild Flingtorp, and Bo Terning Hansen for contribu-tions to the study; Sara Nordqvist Kleppe for data management; andJette Junge for contributions serving on the pathology panel. Chris-tine Shields of MSD provided clinical scientist support to thefinalanalysis and contributed to the clinical study report. Roshonda Flor-ence of ExecuPharm provided operational leadership and coordi-nated with the pathology panel and central laboratories; this wasfunded by MSD.Medical writing support, under the direction of the authors, wasprovided by Erin Bekes, PhD, of CMC AFFINITY, McCann Health Medi-cal Communications, and was funded by MSD, in accordance withGood Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines.Peer Reviewe

Støtter dansk HPV-praksis

Danskene har en fornuftig praksis når kvinner med lette celleforandringer blir undersøkt med en spesifikk HPV mRNA test i stedet for umiddelbar kolposkopi og biopsi

Patolog slår tilbake mot gynekologer

Antallet tilfeller av livmorhalskreft er stabilt i Norge, men har gått ned ved de fem sykehusene som har brukt den RNA-baserte HPV-testen, hevder patolog Sveinung Wergeland Sørbye

Prognostic value of adaptive and innate immune system in soft tissue sarcomas

The purpose of this study was to clarify the prognostic significance of the adaptive and innate immune system in soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Prognostic markers in potentially curable STS should guide therapy after surgical resection. The immune status at the time of resection may be important, but the prognostic significance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes is controversial as the immune system has conflicting roles during cancer development. Tissue microarrays from 249 patients with STS were constructed from duplicate cores of viable and representative neoplastic tumor areas. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expression of different immune cells. In univariate analyses, increased numbers of CD20+ lymphocytes in tumor correlated significantly with an improved disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients with wide resection margins (n = 108). In multivariate analyses, a high number of CD20+ lymphocytes in the tumor was an independent positive prognostic factor for DSS in patients with wide resections margins. Co-expression of M-CSF and TGF-beta in tumor and high expression of Ki67 in peritumoral capsule were independent negative prognostic factors for DSS. Increased expression of Skp2 in patients with soft tissue sarcomas is an independent negative prognostic factor for disease-specific survival in women and in patients not administered chemotherapy or radiotherapy. We found diverse prognostic impacts of expression of Skp2, ER, PGR and DSS in male and female patients with STS. In men, but not women, ER positive / PGR negative co-expression profile was an independent negative prognostic factor for DSS. In women, but not men, high expression of Skp2 was associated with reduced DSS

Nursing students' attitudes towards assisted suicide and euthanasia - a study from four different schools of nursing

In 1991/92, 289 students from four different schools of nursing in Norway participated in a case-related attitudes test. The nursing students answered questions concerning their personal views on the moral and legal implications of either assisting suicide or performing euthanasia. They also indicated whether they themselves were willing to perform these acts. The results were compared with responses from a study on students from other faculties in 1988. The findings suggested that nursing students were significantly (p < 0.0005) more restrictive than the other students in their attitudes towards voluntary active euthanasia (VAE). Factors that influenced the nursing students' attitudes towards VAE were measured by the index of VAE. Religious belief (p < 0.0001), conservative political view (p < 0.01), and the perception of life as meaningful (p < 0.02) were the best predictors of the dependent variable

Vaksine og screening : ja takk, begge deler!

- I Norge trenger vi ikke velge mellom HPV-vaksine eller screening. Vi har råd til begge deler