Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer. However, each year in the United States, an estimated 13,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and 4,000 women die of this cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Screening tests and the HPV vaccine are the keys to prevention. When cervical cancer is found early, it is highly treatable and associated with a long-term survival rates and good quality of life.
BioReference® is pleased to enhance our cervical cancer screening options with the addition of CINtec® PLUS Cytology, the only FDA-approved test that serves as a triage for discrepant co-testing results (Pap normal and hrHPV positive) for women between the ages of 30 and 65.
CINtec PLUS Cytology: Dual-Stain Biomarker-Based Test
The CINtec PLUS Cytology test, is an innovative new test that complements HPV/Pap co-testing by using dual staining of the same sample of cervical cells collected during a routine Pap. CINtec PLUS Cytology looks for dual biomarkers (proteins that may be a sign of an underlying condition or disease) to identify cervical cells that may be transforming into cancer.
Normal Paps with hrHPV positive results are not uncommon and may lead to a dilemma over the best follow-up path to choose. Current guidelines recommend repeating co-testing in a year for NILM cytology non-16/18 hrHPV positive results. Healthcare providers may also be concerned about lack of patient follow-up if they wait up to a year to retest¹. In addition, waiting could cause patients anxiety and result in a missed diagnosis, delayed treatment or disease progression². The use of two biomarkers, p16 and Ki-67, offers a solution to this situation without waiting or requiring further testing. When both biomarkers are expressed at the same time in a cell, they signal the presence of molecular alterations that show HPV infections are transforming into pre-cancer.
Better Testing and Better Outcomes for Patients at Risk of Cervical Cancer
This test gives healthcare providers valuable information that can be used to determine which women with positive hrHPV test results and a NILM Pap may be at the highest risk of having cervical pre-cancer.
To learn more about the CINtec PLUS Cytology and how to order the test, please speak with your BioReference sales representative or click here for test ordering information.
- RB Perkins, R. A. (2021 Dec). Clinical follow-up practices after cervical cancer screening by co-testing: A population-based study of adherence to US guideline recommendations. Preventative Medicine, 153:106770.
- GL Mortensen, A. A. (2010). Qualitative study of women’s anxiety and information needs after a diagnosis of cervical dysplasia. Z Gesundh Wiss., 18(5): 473-482.
