HPV Test More Accurate than Pap for Cervical Cancer

A new study has found that testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) with the Hybrid Capture 2 (hc2) test is more effective than the traditional Pap smear for the primary screening of cervical cancer. The study was published in the June 2001 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.

The study, involving 7,932 women in France, revealed that the HPV hc2 test was 100% sensitive in detecting high-grade cervical lesions, compared to only 68.1% for a Pap smear. The study was conducted between August 1997 and February 2001 on women with a median age of 34 years. The Hybrid Capture hc2 test was developed by Digene Corp. (Gaithersburg, MD, USA; www.digene.com), which develops and markets DNA and RNA testing systems.

"This new data confirms earlier studies showing that the hc2 HPV test can detect virtually all high-grade cervical disease with good specificity,” said Dr. Attila Lorincz, chief scientific officer of Digene. "The study also adds to the ever-growing body of evidence from around the world that shows the effectiveness of HPV testing in the primary screening of cervical cancer.”




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