Comparison of three human papillomavirus DNA assays and one mRNA assay in women with abnormal cytology.

Objective: To compare the clinical characteristics of four human papillomavirus (HPV) assays: hybrid capture 2 (HC2), cobas, CLART, and APTIMA in Danish women with abnormal cytology.

Methods: SurePath samples from 367 consecutive women from Copenhagen, with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance or worse, were tested with the four assays. These women were routinely recommended for repeated testing or were referred for colposcopy. Their worst histological diagnosis in 29 months from baseline was retrieved from the Danish National Pathology Data Bank.

Results: Of the 367 women, 16 (4%) had no follow-up, 232 (63%) had

Conclusions: Small differences in clinical characteristics were found for the four HPV assays in Danish women with abnormal cytology aged ≥30 years. At younger ages, APTIMA was somewhat less sensitive for high-grade CIN than the three HPV DNA assays.