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Is a PCR test for HPV DNA as specific
as Digene hc2 for detecting high grade
disease ?
There
are no standardized and well characterized
PCR test protocols available for picking
up high grade lesions clinically relevant
from cancer management point of view.
All that PCR does is to identify presence
or absence of HPV in the specimen but
that may or may not be clinical use.
How
does HPV cause precancer lesion and
cervical cancer?
HPV
infection can appear as visible warts
over lower ano-genital area or prolonged
duration of infection on the cervix,
known as Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
(CIN), observed as abnormal Pap result.
So it is recommended to take Pap
test at least once in 3 years for women
above 30 years of age. Mild symptoms
due to HPV may occur within months but
may also take years. Most often however,
such symptoms are not noticed or cared
by most women. This may lead to the
cancer of the cervix. It is seen
mainly in women aged between 30 to 65.
Who
should take the HPV DNA test?
HPV
infection is very common after beginning
of sex life. If you are falling under
the below mentioned groups of women,
you should take DNAwithPap test in order
to avoid life time risk of being
an unfortunate victim of Cervical Cancer
and consult your gynecologist if the
test is POSITIVE for clinical advice.
-
If
you became sexually active at an early
age,
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If
you are above the age of 30 or above,
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If
your Pap smear test had ever been
abnormal results,
-
If
you have symptoms of abnormal discharge
or intermenstrual or post-coital
leeding or menorrhagia or simply
pelvic pain.
-
If
you are having continuous back-aches
or pain in lower abdomen or thigh
or legs,
-
If
you are feeling loss of appetite
with age leading to loss of weight
-
If
you are on oral contraceptives
OR
-
If
you are (or anyone in your close
family) unfortunate victim of Cancer
of Cervix, your doctor can advice
HPV DNA test to make sure therapeutic
procedures used to treat cancer
have removed the causative HPV virus
almost completely.
How
are HPV infections detected early?
- The
DNAwithPap test has been approved
by the US FDA for early diagnosis
of pre-clinical HPV infections.
It detects the DNA of the virus
from cervical sample concurrent
to your Pap test results years before
virus can cause disease or cervical
cancer that may spread to other
organs of your reproductive system.
How
will I or my doctor use the HPV DNA
Test results?
- The
results of your HPV DNA test will
provide you and your doctor not
only the information about current
status of HPV infection if you have
active disease but also future risks
of your probability of progression
to cervical cancer within next 10
to 15 years. Remember, early detection
of HPV is the key to prevent cervical
cancer.
- If
the HPV DNA results show that you
have persistent infection due to
one of the high risk HPV types that
are linked to the development of
cervical cancer or precancer stages,
called CIN 1, 2 or 3 depending upon
the size of the lesion, your doctor
will probably schedule further examination
called Colposcopy, a procedure which
uses a special microscope to view
the cervix. At the same time, your
doctor may take a small cervical
tissue sample for biopsy examination
to arrive at a clinical decision
on the status of your disease and
to decide to operate it at OPD itself
or if major surgery needed.
Do
positive HPV test results mean that
I have cervical cancer?
-
NO.
A positive HPV test result means
that you are probably carrying the
HPV virus and that you are at increased
risk of developing cervical cancer.
Your doctor will further examine
for any precancerous or invasive
cancerous changes on the cervical
or vaginal tissue.
- If
precancer changes are noticed by
your doctor, you can be easily treated
by any of the very simple ablative
(destructive) or excisional (removal)
procedures at OPD without hospitalization.
You can be saved from progressing
to cervical cancer.
- Only
when advanced invasive cancer stages
are noticed, you may require some
radical surgical treatments that
may be expensive, laborious, traumatic
and may also require longer hospital
stay with poor success rate.
- When
detected early, cervical cancer
has a very high rate of cure, unlike
many other cancers.
Is
the HPV test very expensive?
-
No.
For the sensitivity and specificity
of HPV DNA test, a repeat Pap test
would be necessary at least 5 times
to arrive at a similar clinical
significance. Considering “Once-a-Lifetime”
HPV DNA test above the age of 30
HPV Test is most cost economic for
its clinical significance
- Personal
Hygiene, Genital Hygiene, Menstrual
Hygiene
- Avoid
multiple partners. (Remember, condoms
are largely insufficient to prevent
HPV infection)
- Seek
advice of your Family Physician
or Gynaecologist.
- Undertake
HPV DNA Test at least once in 10
to 15 years or Pap test every year.
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HPV
DNA Testing - Essential Facts
- HPV
is the major etiological
(causative) agent for
of cervical cancer
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- HPV
detection is associated
with minimum 100-folds
increased risk of high-grade
CIN (cervical intraepithelial
neoplasia)
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- Essentially
all women with high grade
CIN have detectable HPV
DNA
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- The
higher the grade of neoplasia,
greater the association
with carcinogenic HPV
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- HPV
DNA positive, Pap smear
normal women are at an
increased risk of subsequent
CIN within few year
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