Updated NCCN Guidelines for Cervical Cancer Screening Highlight Appropriate Use of New HPV DNA Tests

Updated NCCN Guidelines for Cervical Cancer Screening Highlight Appropriate
Use of New HPV DNA Tests

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recently updated the NCCN
Guidelines for Cervical Cancer Screening to provide further recommendations
for a subset of women with conflicting results on cervical cytology/Pap tests
and Human papillomavirus (HPV) High Risk DNA tests

The NCCN Guidelines include recommendations regarding screening techniques,
screening intervals, and management of abnormal screening resulting from
cervical cytology/Pap smear and colposcopy

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National
Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recently made updates to the NCCN Clinical
Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) for Cervical Cancer Screening that include
a new section providing recommendations for women who have positive results
for the HPV High Risk DNA test but negative cervical cytology screen/Pap
smears.

Cervical cytology screening, either conventional Pap smears or liquid-based
cytology, is the current method for early detection of cervical cancer. The
FDA recently approved two new diagnostic HPV DNA tests. An updated version of
the HPV High Risk (HR) DNA test determines whether any of the 14 oncogenic
(i.e., high-risk) types of HPV are present, but it does not indicate which
types are present. The HPV 16/18 DNA test determines whether HPV-16, HPV-18,
or both are present. These types are responsible for an estimated 70 percent
of cervical cancer.

The new section in the updated NCCN Guidelines provides guidance for women 30
years and older who receive a positive result using the HPV HR DNA test but
have a negative cervical cytology/Pap smear. Their options may include either
1) have the more specific HPV 16/18 DNA test, or 2) proceed directly to
colposcopy. A colposcopy, where the cervix is viewed through a long
focal-length microscope, is the primary method for evaluating women with
abnormal cervical cytologies.

At the present time, the NCCN Cervical Cancer Guidelines recommend that HPV
DNA testing should complement cervical cancer screening methods, such as
regular Pap smears and gynecologic examinations, not replace these methods.
However, the NCCN Guidelines note that HPV DNA testing is not recommended in
women younger than 21 years of age.

The NCCN Guidelines also provide screening recommendations for women who have
received the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine, which is approved by the FDA for
girls and women ages 9 to 26 years old, provides protection against four types
of HPV (types 6, 11, 16, 18). The NCCN Guidelines stress that vaccinated women
remain at risk for less common types of HPV and should continue to be
screened.

The current NCCN Guidelines recommend that women should begin screening for
cervical cancer approximately three years after the onset of vaginal
intercourse or no later than 21 years of age.

Despite a significant decrease in the incidence and mortality of cervical
cancer in the United States, it is estimated that 11,270 women will be
diagnosed in 2009.

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) are developed and updated
through an evidence-based process with explicit review of the scientific
evidence integrated with expert judgment by multidisciplinary panels of
physicians from NCCN Member Institutions. The most recent version of this and
all the NCCN Guidelines are available free of charge at NCCN.org.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of
21 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the
quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through
the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member
Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the
numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of
high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality
improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice
guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care
decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the
quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can
live better lives.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Massachusetts
General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer
Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney
Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H.
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL;
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer
Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research
Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman
Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of
Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San
Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor,
MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.

For more information, visit NCCN.org.

SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Megan Martin of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, +1-215-690-0576,
martin@nccn.org