PREDICTIVE VALUE OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS DNA DETECTION BY FILTER HYBRIDIZATION AND POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION IN WOMEN WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS OF COLPOSCOPIC EXAMINATION

This study focused on women who had an abnormal Papanicolaou smear and a subsequent colposcopic examination negative for a cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion. Cervical swabs obtained during the initial colposcopic examination were analyzed for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA, and these results were correlated with the follow-up examinations. Human papillomavirus DNA was detected by dot-blot hybridization in 31 of 109 (28%) cases. The rate of subsequent biopsy-proved squamous intraepithelial lesion was 17 of 31 (55%) for the HPV-positive group compared with 9 of 78 (11%) for the HPV-negative group. The HPV-DNA detection rate by polymerase chain reaction was 46 of 109 (42%), with a rate of subsequent squamous intraepithelial lesion of 18 of 46 (39%) for the HPV-positive group, compared with 8 of 63 (13%) for the HPV-negative group. Most women had no evidence of squamous intraepithelial lesions on follow-up if the concurrent Papanicolaou smear was normal, even when HPV DNA was detected, suggesting that HPV detection per se does not necessarily correlate with subsequent squamous intraepithelial lesion.