MEMORANDUM FOR: Science Writers and Editors on the Journal Press List: Limited Potential for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing for Women With Low-Grade Pap Smears

Extract

February 24, 2000 (EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE 4 P.M. EST February 29)

More than 80% of 642 women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions of the uterine cervix tested positive for human papillomaviruses associated with cancer development, indicating limited potential for such testing as a guide to clinical decisions.

These results, reported by Laura Koutsky, Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle, for the ALTS Group (Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance/Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions Triage Study Group), appear in the March 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

About 50 million Pap smears are performed in the United States each year, with about 2% of the smears revealing a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). The average cost of treatment for women so diagnosed is about $1,000. Because about 70%–80% of these low-grade lesions disappear spontaneously, identifying those that are most likely to progress could reduce patient anxiety and inconvenience, minimize invasive testing, and save money.