HPV-testing versus HPV-cytology co-testing to predict the outcome after conization

Efficiency of CIN2+ Detection by Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone (TRH) Site-Specific Methylation

Cervical cancer screening typically involves a Pap smear combined with high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) detection. Women with hr-HPV positivity but normal cytology, as well as those with precancerous abnormal cytology, such as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and high-grade SIL (HSIL), are referred for colposcopy and histology examination to identify abnormal lesions, such as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer. However, in order to enhance the accuracy of detection, bioinformatics analysis of a microarray database was performed, which identified cg01009664, a methylation marker of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). Consequently, a real-time PCR assay was developed to distinguish CIN2+ (CIN2, CIN3, and cervical cancer) from CIN2- (CIN1 and normal cervical epithelia). The real-time PCR assay utilized specific primers targeting methylated cg01009664 sites, whereas an unmethylated reaction was used to check the DNA quality. A cut-off value for the methylated reaction of Ct < 33 was established, resulting in improved precision in identifying CIN2+. In the first cohort group, the assay demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.7% and a specificity of 98.6%. In the cytology samples identified as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and LSIL, the sensitivity and specificity for detecting CIN2+ were 95.0% and 98.9%, respectively. However, when self-collected samples from women with confirmed histology were tested, the sensitivity for CIN2+ detection dropped to 49.15%, while maintaining a specificity of 100%. Notably, the use of clinician-collected samples increased the sensitivity of TRH methylation testing. TRH methylation analysis can effectively identify women who require referral for colposcopy examinations, aiding in the detection of CIN2+.

HPV Test as Test of Cure After Conization for CIN2+: A Nationwide Register-Based Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to assess if cytology can be omitted in the follow-up after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) and if human papillomavirus (HPV) test can be used alone as test of cure (TOC) after stratifying for resection margins.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In this retrospective register-based study, women who had a conization performed in Denmark between January 1 and December 31, 2013, were included. Histology, cytology, and HPV test results were obtained from The Danish Pathology Data Bank for a 3-year follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 5,174 women were included, of whom 6.1% (318/5,174) had histological residual/recurrent disease in the follow-up period. In the group with free margins, 2.6% (73/2,780) had residual/recurrent disease in contrast to 10.2% (245/2,394) in the group with involved margins. In the group with free resection margins and negative HPV test results, residual/recurrent disease was found in 0.5% (13/2,780) compared with 0.3% (9/2,780) in the group with negative HPV test results and normal cytology at 6 months' follow-up. Based on margin status and HPV test result as follow-up, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 95.9%, 43.2%, 10.0%, and 99.4% respectively, and for combined testing (margin status, HPV, and cytology), 97.2%, 41.2%, 9.8%, and 99.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Using the HPV test at the first post-treatment control as TOC for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse after stratifying for resection margins in cone resections yields an equally high sensitivity and negative predictive value as cotesting with cytology. We suggest that women with free resection margins return to the routine screening program after negative HPV test result as TOC at 6 months.

Predictors of treatment failure for adenocarcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix: Up to 14 years of recorded follow‑up

The incidence of adenocarcinoma-in-situ (AIS) of the uterine cervix is rising, with invasive adenocarcinoma becoming increasingly common relative to squamous cell carcinoma. The present study reviewed a cohort of 84 patients first-time treated by conization for histologically-confirmed AIS from January 2001 to January 2017, to identify risk factors associated with recurrent/persistent AIS as well as progression to invasive cervical cancer. Nearly 80% of the patients were age 40 or younger at conization. Endocervical and ectocervical margins were deemed clear in 42 of the patients. All but two patients had ≥1 follow-up, with post-conization high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) results documented in 52 patients. Altogether, 12 histopathologically-confirmed recurrences (14.3%) were detected; two of these patients had microinvasive or invasive carcinoma. In three other patients cytology showed AIS, but without recorded histopathology. Eight patients underwent hysterectomy for incomplete resection very soon after primary conization; they were not included in bivariate or multivariate analyses. Having ≥1 post-follow-up positive HPV finding yielded the highest sensitivity for histologically-confirmed recurrence: 87.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 47.4-99.7]. Current or historical smoking status provided highest specificity: 94.4 (95% CI 72.7-99.9) and overall accuracy: 88.0 (95% CI 68.8-97.5) for histologically-confirmed recurrence. With multiple logistic regression (MLR), adjusting for age at conization and abnormal follow-up cytology, positive HPV18 was the strongest predictor of histologically-confirmed recurrence (P<0.005). Having ≥2 positive HPV results also predicted recurrence (P<0.02). Any unclear margin yielded an odds ratio 7.21 (95% CI 1.34-38.7) for histologically-confirmed recurrence adjusting for age, but became non-significant when including abnormal cytology in the MLR model. The strong predictive value of HPV, particularly HPV18 and persistent HPV positivity vis-à-vis detected recurrence indicated that regular HPV testing for patients treated for AIS is imperative. In conclusion, furthering a participatory approach, including attention to smoking with encouragement to attend needed long-term follow-up, can better protect these patients at high risk for cervical cancer.

Precancerous cervical lesions caused by non-vaccine-preventable HPV types after vaccination with the bivalent AS04-adjuvanted HPV vaccine: an analysis of the long-term follow-up study from the randomised Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial

BACKGROUND

In women vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV), reductions in cervical disease and related procedures results in more women having intact transformation zones, potentially increasing the risk of cervical lesions caused by non-vaccine-preventable HPV types, a phenomenon termed clinical unmasking. We aimed to evaluate HPV vaccine efficacy against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) attributed to non-preventable HPV types in the long-term follow-up phase of the Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial (CVT).

METHODS

CVT was a randomised, double-blind, community-based trial done in Costa Rica. Eligible participants were women aged 18-25 years who were in general good health. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive an HPV 16 and 18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine or control hepatitis A vaccine, using a blocked randomisation method (permuted block sizes of 14, 16, and 18). Vaccines in both groups were administered intramuscularly with 0·5 mL doses at 0, 1, and 6 months. Masking of vaccine allocation was maintained throughout the 4-year randomised trial phase, after which participants in the hepatitis A virus vaccine control group were provided the HPV vaccine and exited the study; a screening-only, unvaccinated control group was enrolled. The unvaccinated control group and HPV vaccine group were followed up for 7 years, during which treatment allocation was not masked. One of the prespecified primary endpoints for the long-term follow-up phase was precancers associated with HPV types not prevented by the vaccine, defined as histologically confirmed incident CIN2+ events or CIN3+ events attributed to any HPV type except HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, and 45. Our primary analytical period was years 7-11. Primary analyses were in all participants with at least one follow-up visit and excluded participants with a previous endpoint (ie, modified intention-to-treat cohort). Safety endpoints have been reported elsewhere. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00128661 and NCT00867464. The randomised, masked trial phase is completed; an unmasked subset of women in the HPV-vaccinated group is under active investigation.

FINDINGS

Between June 28, 2004, and Dec 21, 2005, 7466 participants were enrolled (HPV vaccine group n=3727 and hepatitis A virus vaccine control group n=3739). Between March 30, 2009, and July 5, 2012, 2836 women enrolled in the new unvaccinated control group. The primary analytical cohort (years 7 to 11) included 2767 participants in the HPV vaccine group and 2563 in the unvaccinated group for the CIN2+ events endpoint assessment and 2826 participants in the HPV vaccine group and 2592 in the unvaccinated control group for the CIN3+ events endpoint assessment. Median follow-up during years 7 to 11 for women included for the CIN2+ events analysis was 52·8 months (IQR 44·0 to 60·7) for the HPV vaccine group and 49·8 months (42·0 to 56·9) for the unvaccinated control group. During years 7 to 11, clinical unmasking was observed with a negative vaccine efficacy against CIN2+ events attributed to non-preventable HPV types (-71·2% [95% CI -164·0 to -12·5]), with 9·2 (95% CI 2·1 to 15·6) additional CIN2+ events attributed to non-preventable HPV types per 1000 HPV-vaccinated participants versus HPV-unvaccinated participants. 27·0 (95% CI 14·2 to 39·9) fewer CIN2+ events irrespective of HPV type per 1000 vaccinated participants were observed during 11 years of follow-up. Vaccine efficacy against CIN3+ events attributed to non-preventable HPV types during years 7 to 11 was -135·0% (95% CI -329·8 to -33·5), with 8·3 (3·0 to 12·8) additional CIN3+ events attributed to non-preventable HPV types per 1000 vaccinated participants versus unvaccinated participants.

INTERPRETATION

Higher rates of CIN2+ events and CIN3+ events due to non-preventable HPV types in vaccinated versus unvaccinated participants suggests clinical unmasking could attenuate long-term reductions in high-grade disease following successful implementation of HPV vaccination programmes in screened populations. Importantly, the net benefit of vaccination remains considerable; therefore, HPV vaccination should still be prioritised as primary prevention for cervical cancer.

FUNDING

National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health.

TRANSLATION

For the Spanish translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Age, margin status, high-risk human papillomavirus and cytology independently predict recurrent high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia up to 6 years after treatment

The present study aimed to identify the factors that independently contribute to disease recurrence among women first-time treated for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) during 4–6 years of follow-up. Overall, 529 of 530 eligible patients participated; these patients all attended a 1st follow-up appointment ~6 months post-conization, at which time high-risk human-papillomavirus (HPV) testing, liquid-based cytology and colposcopy were performed. Full data on margin excision status, other aspects of initial treatment and comorbidity were obtained. At least one subsequent follow-up was attended by 88% of patients. A total of 22 recurrent cases were detected during follow-up. Detected recurrence was the outcome of focus for multiple logistic regression analysis, with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) computed. Four significant independent risk factors were identified: Age 45 years or above (OR=3.5, 95% CI=1.3–9.9), one or both unclear or uncertain margins (OR=5.3, 95% CI=2.0–14.2), positive HPV at 1st follow-up (OR=5.8, 95% CI=2.0–16.8), and abnormal cytology at 1st follow-up (OR=3.9, 95% CI=1.4–11.0). Bivariate analysis revealed that persistent HPV positivity was associated with recurrence (P<0.01). These findings indicated that incomplete excision of the CIN lesion may warrant more intensive subsequent screening, regardless of early post-conization HPV findings. Although early post-conization positive HPV was a powerful, independent predictor of recurrent high-grade CIN, over one-third of the patients with detected recurrence had a negative early post-conization HPV finding. These patients returned for routine screening, at which time, in most cases, HPV status was positive, thus indicating the need for repeated HPV evaluation. Especially during the on-going pandemic, home vaginal self-sampling is recommended. Particular attention is required for women aged ≥45 years. In addition, although not statistically significant, relevant comorbidities, especially autoimmune conditions, warrant consideration in clinical decision-making. Women who have been treated for high-grade CIN are at risk for recurrent disease and progression to cervical cancer; therefore, they require careful, individualized follow-up to avoid these adverse consequences.

Self-sampling for high-risk human papillomavirus as a follow-up alternative after treatment of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Women treated for high-grade cervical-intraepithelial-neoplasia (CIN) require long-term follow-up with high-risk human-papillomavirus (HPV) testing. Self-sampling for HPV is well-accepted among these patients, but its role in follow-up for this group requires investigation. The present study examined how well HPV findings from self-sampled vaginal (VSS) and urine specimens correctly identified women from this cohort with recurrent CIN2+ compared with samples collected by clinicians. At 1st post-conization follow-up, 531 patients (99.8% participation) gave urine samples, performed VSS, underwent colposcopy with punch biopsy of visible lesions and clinician-collected cervical sampling for HPV analysis and liquid-based cytology. A total of 113 patients with positive HPV and/or abnormal cytology at 1st follow-up underwent 2nd follow-up. At 1st follow-up, all patients with recurrent CIN3 had positive HPV results by all methods. Clinician sampling and VSS revealed HPV16 positivity in 50% of recurrent cases and urine sampling revealed HPV16 positivity in 25% of recurrent cases. At 2nd follow-up, all 7 newly-detected CIN2/3 recurrences were associated with HPV positivity on VSS and clinician-samples. Only clinician-collected samples detected HPV positivity for two adenocarcinoma-in-situ recurrences, and both were HPV18 positive. A total of 77 patients had abnormal cytology at 1st follow-up, for which HPV positivity via VSS yielded highest sensitivity. The HPV findings were positive from VSS in 12 patients with high-grade squamous-intraepithelial-lesions (HSIL), and 11 patients with HSIL had positive HPV findings in clinician-collected and urine samples. All methods for assessing HPV presence yielded significant age-adjusted odds ratios for predicting abnormal lesions at 1st follow-up. For overall HPV results, Cohen's kappa revealed substantial agreement between VSS and clinician sampling, and moderate agreement between urine and clinician sampling. Clinician sampling and VSS were highly concordant for HPV16. Insofar as the pathology was squamous (not glandular), VSS appeared as sensitive as clinician sampling for HPV in predicting outcome among the present cohort. Since VSS can be performed at home, this option can maximize participation in the required long-term follow-up for these women at high-risk.

Reporting and Assessing the Quality of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies for Cervical Cancer Screening and Management

Supplemental digital content is available in the text.

Objective

We adapted the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2) tool for studies of cervical cancer screening and management and used the adapted tool to evaluate the quality of studies included in a systematic review supporting the 2019 Risk-Based Management Consensus Guidelines.

Methods

We evaluated the quality of all studies included in our systematic review for postcolposcopy (n = 5) and posttreatment (n = 23) surveillance using QUADAS-2 criteria. Subsequently, we adapted signaling questions to indications of cervical cancer screening and management. An iterative process was carried out to evaluate interrater agreement between 2 study authors (M.A.C. and N.W.). Discrepant ratings were discussed, and criteria were adapted accordingly. We also evaluated the influence of study quality on risk estimates and between study variation using stratified subgroup meta-analyses.

Results

Twelve signaling questions for bias assessment that were adapted to or newly developed for cervical cancer screening and management are described here. Interrater agreement on bias assessment increased from 70% to 83% during the adaptation process. Detailed assessment of bias and applicability showed that all studies on postcolposcopy management and 90% of studies on posttreatment management had high risk of bias in at least 1 domain. Most commonly, high risk of bias was observed for the patient selection domain, indicating the heterogeneity of study designs and clinical practice in reported studies.

Conclusions

The adapted QUADAS-2 will have broad application for researchers, evidence evaluators, and journals who are interested in designing, conducting, evaluating, and publishing studies for cervical cancer screening and management.

A Systematic Review of Tests for Postcolposcopy and Posttreatment Surveillance

OBJECTIVE

For the 2019 ASCCP Risk-Based Management Consensus Guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of diagnostic assays for postcolposcopy and posttreatment management.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A literature search was conducted to identify articles reporting on tests/assays for cervical cancer screening, triage, postcolposcopy surveillance, and posttreatment surveillance published between 2012 and 2019 in PubMed and Embase. Titles and abstracts were evaluated by co-authors for inclusion. Included articles underwent full-text review, data abstraction, and quality assessment. Pooled absolute pretest and posttest risk estimates were calculated for studies evaluating management of patients after treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 2,862 articles were identified through the search. Of 50 articles on postcolposcopy, 5 were included for data abstraction. Of 66 articles on posttreatment, 23 were included for data abstraction and were summarized in the meta-analysis. The pooled posttreatment risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+ in all studies was 4.8% (95% CI = 3.4%-6.8%), ranging from 0.4%-19.5% (τ = 0.57) in individual studies. Among individuals testing negative for human papillomavirus (HPV) posttreatment, the risk of CIN 2+ was 0.69% (95% CI = 0.3%-1.5%); among individuals testing positive for HPV posttreatment, the risk of CIN 2+ was 18.3% (95% CI = 12.1%-26.6%) in all studies. All risk estimates were substantially higher for liquid-based cytology. The HPV-cytology co-testing provided slightly better reassurance compared with HPV alone at the cost of much higher positivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a large number of published studies on postcolposcopy and posttreatment surveillance, only few met criteria for abstraction and were included in the meta-analysis. More high-quality studies are needed to evaluate assays and approaches that can improve management of patients with abnormal screening.

Association Between Positive Human Papillomavirus Status After Conization and Disease Recurrence in Patients with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 3

Objective

This study aimed to examine the associations of cone margin and human papillomavirus (HPV) status after conization with cytological abnormalities and disease recurrence in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3).

Methods

This is a retrospective study of 366 women with CIN3 who underwent conization at Kagoshima University Hospital between 2004 and 2017. Conization was performed using an ultrasonic scalpel. The polymerase chain reaction for detecting HPV genotypes was performed using fresh cervical cell samples. We examined the associations of margin status and HPV status after conization with cytological abnormalities and recurrence.

Results

Among 224 women with CIN3, 193 (86.2%) underwent HPV genotype testing before conization. The HPV-positive rate was 84.9%. The most common HPV genotypes before conization were HPV 16, 31, 58, 52, 18, 35, and 33. In 191 patients, the uterus was preserved after conization. Sixteen patients had pathologically positive margins, 165 had negative margins, and 10 had unclear margins. There was no significant difference in abnormal cytology and recurrence rate after conization between the three groups. Five patients with positive margins and abnormal cytology during follow-ups were HPV16- or HPV58-positive in the preoperative HPV testing. Of the 191 women, 91 (47.6%) underwent pre- and postoperative HPV genotype testing, among whom 14 (15.4%) were HPV-positive after conization. No significant difference in abnormal cytology based on HPV status after conization was found. The recurrence rate tended to be higher in HPV-positive patients than in HPV-negative patients after conization (21.4% vs. 1.3%, p < 0.05). Three patients with HPV positivity after conization and recurrence during follow-up were HPV16- or HPV58-positive.

Conclusions

HPV positivity after conization for CIN3 was associated with a high recurrence rate, especially in HPV16- and HPV58-positive patients. HPV58 has not received much attention thus far, but abnormalities in cytology and recurrence may be as likely as those associated with HPV16. Thus, a careful follow-up in such patients is recommended.

Role of Colposcopy after Treatment for Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Colposcopy is often used in follow-up after treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) despite its marked inter-observer variability and low sensitivity. Our objective was to assess the role of colposcopy in post-treatment follow-up in comparison to hrHPV (high-risk human papillomavirus) testing, cytology, and cone margin status. Altogether, 419 women treated for histological high-grade lesion (HSIL) with large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) attended colposcopy with cytology and hrHPV test at six months. Follow-up for recurrence of HSIL continued for 24 months. Colposcopy was considered positive if colposcopic impression was recorded as high grade and cytology if HSIL, ASC-H (atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude HSIL), or AGC-FN (atypical glandular cells, favor neoplasia) were present. Overall, 10 (10/419, 2.4%) recurrent HSIL cases were detected, 5 at 6 months and 5 at 12 months. Colposcopic impression was recorded at 407/419 6-month visits and was positive for 11/407 (2.7%). None of them had recurrent lesions, resulting in 0% sensitivity and 97% specificity for colposcopy. Sensitivity for the hrHPV test at 6 months was 100% and specificity 85%, for cytology 40% and 99%, and for margin status at treatment 60% and 82%, respectively. While the hrHPV test is highly sensitive in predicting recurrence after local treatment for CIN, colposcopy in an unselected population is not useful in follow-up after treatment of CIN.

Evaluation of the intraoperative human papillomavirus test as a marker of early cure at 12 months after electrosurgical excision procedure in women with cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate if the intraoperative human papillomavirus (IOP-HPV) test has the same prognostic value as the HPV test performed at 6 months after treatment of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) to predict treatment failure.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Barcelona, Spain.

POPULATION

A cohort of 216 women diagnosed with HSIL and treated with loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP).

METHODS

After LEEP, an HPV test was performed using the Hybrid Capture 2 system. If this was positive, genotyping was performed with the CLART HPV2 technique. The IOP-HPV test was compared with HPV test at 6 months and with surgical margins.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Treatment failure.

RESULTS

Recurrence rate of HSIL was 6%. There was a strong association between a positive IOP-HPV test, a positive 6-month HPV test, positive HPV 16 genotype, positive surgical margins and HSIL recurrence. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the IOP-HPV test were 85.7, 80.8,24.0 and 98.8% and of the HPV test at 6 months were 76.9, 75.8, 17.2 and 98.0%.

CONCLUSION

Intraoperative HPV test accurately predicts treatment failure in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2/3. This new approach may allow early identification of patients with recurrent disease, which will not delay the treatment. Genotyping could be useful in detecting high-risk patients.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

IOP-HPV test accurately predicts treatment failure in women with CIN 2/3.