High-risk human papillomavirus testing as a primary screening for cervical cancer: position statement by the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Tae-Wook Kong; Miseon Kim; Young-Han Kim; Yong Beom Kim; Jayeon Kim; Jae-Weon Kim; Mi Hye Park; Joo Hyun Park; Jeong Ho Rhee; Myong Cheol Lim; Joon-Seok Hong

doi:10.5468/ogs.2020.63.2.107

Kong, Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim, Kim, Park, Park, Rhee, Lim, Hong, and on behalf of Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology developed by Position Statement Writing Committee: High-risk human papillomavirus testing as a primary screening for cervical cancer: position statement by the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Position Statement

Obstetrics & Gynecology Science 2020;63(2):107.

Published online: February 18, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2020.63.2.107

High-risk human papillomavirus testing as a primary screening for cervical cancer: position statement by the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology

Tae-Wook Kong¹, Miseon Kim², Young-Han Kim³, Yong Beom Kim⁴, Jayeon Kim⁵, Jae-Weon Kim⁶, Mi Hye Park⁷, Joo Hyun Park⁸, Jeong Ho Rhee⁹, Myong Cheol Lim¹⁰, Joon-Seok Hong⁴;on behalf of Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology developed by Position Statement Writing Committee

¹Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.

²Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHA Gangnam Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

³Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

⁴Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

⁵Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHA Seoul Fertility Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

⁶Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

⁷Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.

⁸Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

⁹Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.

¹⁰Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Healthcare Research Branch and Center for Uterine Cancer, Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.

Correspondence: Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 4th Floor, 36 Gangnam-daero 132-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06044, Korea. office@ksog.org

Articles published in Obstet Gynecol Sci are open-access, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Based on emerging data and current knowledge regarding high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing as a primary screening for cervical cancer, the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology support the following scientific facts:

• Compared to cytology, hrHPV screening has higher sensitivity and detects more cases of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

• Qualified hrHPV testing can be considered as an alternative primary screening for cervical cancer to the current cytology method.

• The starting age of primary hrHPV screening should not be before 25 years because of possible overtreatment in this age, which has a high human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence but rarely progresses to cancer. The screening interval should be no sooner than every 3 years and no longer than every 5 years.

• Before the introduction of hrHPV screening in Korea, research into comparative effectiveness of primary hrHPV screening for cervical cancer should be conducted to determine the appropriate HPV assay, starting age, and screening interval.

Keywords: Uterine cervical neoplasms; Cancer screening tests; Human papillomavirus DNA tests

Note

This statement states the official position of the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology and is published jointly in the Obstetrics & Gynecologic Science and the Journal of Gynecologic Oncology. It has no legal and or political validity for clinical decisions.

Supplementary associated with this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2020.63.2.107.

Supplementary

ogs-63-107-s001.pdf