HPV — Human Papillomavirus 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59
Select biomaterial for sampling
For more information about the virus, see: "PAPILLOMAVIRUS: DANGEROUS AND UNPREDICTABLE", descriptive article of the test "qualitative determination of papillomavirus by PCR".
To date, more than 100 species of papillomaviruses are known. Some of them can cause cancers, most often uterine cervix cancer.
Specific groups according to the degree of risk of developing cancer:
- The "low risk" group. Genital warts (pointed condylomas) are more often caused. The group includes HPV 6, 11, 40, 42, 43, 44, 54, 61, 70, 72, 81, and CP6108.
- The "high risk" group. Almost every one of these types was found in uterine cervix, tumors in the anus and in the oral cavity. The group includes HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 73, and 82. The listed types are officially recognized as carcinogens.
Thus, the main purpose of the test is to diagnose the risk of developing uterine cervix cancer. The determination of human papillomavirus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is characterized by high sensitivity and specificity (98%).
The principle of PCR is to identify a unique DNA fragment belonging to a given virus after repeated doubling of the studied genetic material in a test-tube.
However, it is worth remembering that the detection of HPV in the material does not yet indicate the presence of cancer in the patient, but requires a more detailed histological examination. Women who have HPV in their uterine cervix for a long time have a 65 times higher risk of developing cancer than those who do not have the virus. The risk increases significantly (130 times) if the patient is over 30 years old and infected with HPV type 16 or 18.
In the OLYMP CDL branches, PCR analysis are done in REAL-TIME mode, which means that after each hardware cycle (amplification), the amount of DNA in the biomaterial is measured. This procedure reduces the probability of a false positive result to almost zero!
The test material is a scraping from the vagina. Therefore, the result of the test indicates the presence or absence of the pathogen directly at the site of taking the biomaterial.