The use of ISH to detect the presence of HPV in LBC samples

The aetiological agent of cervical cancer is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) - the virus responsible for genital warts. There are many different subtypes of HPV that are categorised as either low risk or high risk for cervical cancer depending on their oncogenicity. The implementation of cervical screening programmes has led to a 70% reduction in cervical cancer rates in some countries. In addition to cervical screening technology such as liquid based cytology (LBC), there are also a variety of methods for detecting HPV. One method is in-situ hybridization (ISH). The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of ISH to detect the presence of HPV in LBC samples and see if this method can be used as a follow up protocol to test patient's samples following treatment for evidence of high risk HPV. When a patient has an abnormal cervical sample result and is treated by diathermy loop excision, she will need to attend a follow up appointment where she will have a LBC sample taken to detect the presence of any residual disease (dyskaryosis). This investigation will combine the use of LBC sampling and ISH to identify the presence of residual disease and high risk HPV. It is believed that if a patient is still positive for high risk HPV following treatment then she will be at an increased risk of disease reoccurrence and will require more follow up compared to a patient who tests negative for high risk HPV post treatment.  The investigation has received ethical approval and sample collection will begin shortly.