Immediate histopathologic follow-up of cervista and aptima high-risk HPV assays in women with LSIL cytology

BACKGROUND Recent guidelines recommended the optional deferral of colposcopy for postmenopausal women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) Papanicolaou (Pap) test results and negative human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. The objective of the current study was to assess the histopathologic follow-up of Cervista and Aptima high-risk HPV (hrHPV) testing in patients with LSIL cytology. METHODS Women with LSIL Pap test results and Cervista or Aptima hrHPV testing results were retrospectively identified from June 2013 through July 2017. Histological follow-up results within 6 months after LSIL Pap tests were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 1731 and 1906 cases of LSIL Pap tests, respectively, were tested on Cervista and Aptima platforms. Among the 2119 cases with histopathologic follow-up, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of types 2/3 (CIN2/3) was diagnosed in 184 women (8.9%) and the detection rate was significantly higher in women with positive HPV testing compared with those with a negative result on both assays. Both methods demonstrated comparable performance for detecting CIN2/3 lesions. However, in women aged ≥50 years, the specificity for the detection of CIN2/3 lesions by the Aptima assay was statistically significantly higher than that of the Cervista test (48.7% vs 23.1%; P