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From the President’s Desk: With time, greater clarity on HPV screening, 6/14

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Gene N. Herbek, MD

June 2014—The Food and Drug Administration on April 24 approved use of the Cobas HPV test manufactured by Roche Molecular Systems as a primary standalone screen for cervical cancer in women 25 years and older. There was a lot of chatter in the general interest press about cervical cytology, not all of it well informed.

The current screening guidelines, published in 2012, resulted from a consensus effort organized by the American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology. In fall 2013, a task force convened by the ASCCP and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology began work on interim guidance for standalone primary screening for cervical cancer in the United States. Pathologists from the American Society of Cytopathology, the ASCP, and the CAP are members of this task force.

Dr. Herbek

Dr. Herbek

The ASCP, CAP, and American Society of Cytopathology are longstanding members of the Cytopathology Education and Technology Consortium (CETC), which also includes the American Society for Cytotechnology, International Academy of Cytology, and Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology. It was the CETC that drafted and presented a statement to the FDA advisory panel in March.

We are in debt to the cytopathologists who are keeping us current on this complex topic. Shortly after the FDA ruling, ASC president Ritu Nayar, MD, who co-chairs the CETC, wrote a president’s message (ascpresidentsmessage.wordpress.com) that sets out context and concerns. Two additional CAP experts have shared educational insights for this column: Diane Davey, MD, a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology/ASCCP task force and the CAP Cytopathology Committee, and Barbara Crothers, DO, who chairs the CAP Cytopathology Committee.
Interest in this topic appears to be high across the CAP membership as well as clinical colleagues and the greater community. This month, I have just a few comments about what we do and do not know, and what we can expect next.

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