New HPV DNA Tests Approved by FDA
Two new tests for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) have been licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), arming health care professionals with additional tools to screen women for cervical cancer.
Hologic Corporation’s Cervista™ HPV High-Risk (HR) test was
approved for use, along with a Pap test, as a follow-up test
to determine which women with unclear Pap test results (known
as Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance, or
ASC-US) have HPV and may benefit from a referral to additional
diagnostic procedures. The test is also indicated for use
as part of routine cervical cancer screening, in combination
with a Pap test, for women age 30 or over. Women in this age
group with HPV are more likely to have persistent infections
and elevated risk for cervical cancer. The indication for
the Cervista HPV HR test is similar to that of the digene
HPV Test Digene’s Hybrid Capture 2 HPV test, which was approved
for clinical use in 2003.
The Cervista HPV 16/18 Genotyping test was also green-lighted by the FDA. This
test checks directly for HPV types 16 and 18, which together
are responsible for approximately 70% of cervical cancers.
This test has promise in helping health care provides identify
which women may be at greatest risk of developing the disease,
and is approved for use (in combination with a Pap test and
Cervista HR test) as primary cervical cancer screening with
women age 30 and older, and to determine if HPV16/18 are present
with ASC-US Pap results.
Spa Days get a New Twist: An Interview with SoBe Gyn's Jane DeNight, M.S., ARNP
(originally published in HPV News)
Spa or medical clinic? At SoBe Gyn of South Beach, Florida, the two concepts blend into what the clinic refers to as personalized boutique gynecology. Since opening in Septmeber 2006, the clinic has sought to “provide uninsured women with exceptional healthcare in a private, soothing, and beautiful environment.” . . .
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Disclosing genital warts to partners
Learning that a sexual partner has been diagnosed with genital warts may not prompt the negative reaction many fear, according to a British study published in Sexually Transmitted Infections. To better understand what factors are important in disclosing a genital warts diagnosis to a partner, Dr. Louise Scrivener, with the Department of Psychology at the University of London, and colleagues recruited 54 patients with a history of genital warts who have had a sexual relationship since their diagnosis. The participants, all of whom were patients at a London medical clinic, completed questionnaires that assessed anxiety, perceptions of stigma around STIs, and relationship variables. 57% of participants identified as white, 30% as black and 13% as Asian. 67% of the subjects reported having informed their partner of the diagnosis, with the main reasons for dong so including honesty, the partner having a right to know, desire to prevent transmission, and stress related to not disclosing. Disclosers had lower overall anxiety levels and were more likely to describe their relationships as long-term and close. Non-disclosers, who most often cited embarrassment and fear of a negative reaction as prime reasons for not telling a partner, were more likely to express regret over their decision than were disclosers. Such fears may have been unfounded, though, as those who disclosed said the partner’s response was much better than expected. ASHA’s HPV message board forum offers a free, anonymous venue for support and information, and site users often have discussions around HPV in relationships. Log on to the ASHA HPV Message board to read more.
Reference: L Scrivener et al. Disclosure of anogenital wars to sexual partners. Sexually Transmitted Infections. 2008; 84(3): 179-182.
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