| Description: |
Genital Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different strains or types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted, and they can infect the genital area of men and women including the skin of the penis, vulva (area outside the vagina), or anus, and the linings of the vagina, cervix, or rectum. The majority of people who acquire HPV do not have any symptoms and the infection will clear up on its own.
There are "high-risk" types of HPV, which may cause abnormal Pap tests. They may also lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus or penis. Others are called "low-risk" types, and they may cause mild Pap test abnormalities or genital warts. All types of HPV can cause mild Pap test abnormalities which do not have serious consequences. Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Research has shown that for most women (90%), cervical HPV infection become undetectable within two years. Although only a small proportion of women have persistent infection, persistent infection with "high-risk" types of HPV is the main risk factor for cervical cancer.
While the Pap test on its own detects cellular changes associated with cervical disease and cancer, Digene’s Hybrid Capture® (HC) test accurately detects clinically relevant high-risk types (Types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 & 68) of Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Digene Hybrid Capture® (HC) is the only FDA-approved HPV test for adjunctive screening or ASC-US triage. |
