Although the use of cytology in screening has reduced morbidity and mortality from invasive cervical cancer, there has been limitation because of the low sensitivity and high false negative rate in the detection of preclinical or clinical disease of the cervix. This study was performed to explore the usefulness of Hybrid Capture System HPV DNA test as a diagnostic method of the cervical cancer.

Cervical cytology and Hybrid Capture System 1 (HCS1) HPV DNA test were performed in 1,023 women who visited Gynecologic Oncology Clinic in Guro Hospital, Korea University Medical Center. HPV DNA were retested by HCS1, HCS2 and Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR), in randomly selected 200 women to compare these DNA tests.

While the sensitivity and specificity of cervical cytology in detection of cervical lesion were 71.2% and 89.5%, those of HCS1 HPV DNA test were 63.0% and 86.9% respectively. There was significant difference in detection of cervical precancerous lesions between HCS1 and HCS2 (P<0.05), but not between HCS2 and PCR (P=0.14). And the sensitivity and specificity were improved with combining cytology and HCS1 HPV DNA test(82.2%, 86.9%~).

HCS HPV DNA test may be considered as a useful adjunctive test with cervical cytology in cervical cancer screening.