Comparison between the Hybrid Capture 2 and the hpVIR real-time PCR for detection of human papillomavirus in women with ASCUS or low grade dysplasia

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) testing is an important part of cervical carcinoma screening, and the most widely used assay for detection of HPV is Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2).ObjectivesWe compare the HC2 with the real-time PCR hpVIR assay for detection of HPV in follow-up smears of 398 women diagnosed with atypical squamous cells of unknown significance (ASCUS) or low grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 1) in their initial smear.Study designThe two assays target the same set of high-risk (HR) HPVs with exception of HPV68. hpVIR identify individual or groups of HPV types as well as their viral load, while HC2 identify HR HPVs without specification of type.Results34% (131/391) of the women were positive with HC2 and 45% (175/391) with hpVIR. 16% (63/391) were positive only with hpVIR and among those with cytology available 6% (3/52) had a CIN 2. The 3% (13/391) of women positive only with HC2 either contained low-risk HPVs or copy numbers below the cut-off for the hpVIR assay.ConclusionThe hpVIR assay has a similar sensitivity and specificity as HC2, but hpVIR detect a higher frequency of high-risk HPV infections.