HPV E1 qPCR, a Low-Cost Alternative Assay to Roche Diagnostic Linear Array is Effective in Identifying Women at Risk for Developing Cervical Cancer

OBJECTIVE: Since a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay targeting the E1 region of HPV genome is cost-effective/simple to perform, we evaluated the agreement between the Roche Diagnostics Linear Array (RDLA) genotyping test and qPCR-based E1 assay to detect HR-HPV genotypes that are included or not included in HPV vaccines and compared their accuracy to detect CIN 2+. METHODS: Study population included 257 African American (AA) and 266 Caucasian American (CA) diagnosed with intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grades ≤CIN 1 or ≥CIN 2 (CIN 2+) and tested for HPV by the RDLA and E1 assay. The concordance was determined using Gwet’s AC1. The calculated positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the two assays were used to determine their suitability to detect CIN lesions. RESULTS: Overall, the E1 assay showed substantial agreement with the RDLA assay to detect any HR-HPV genotype and the agreement was higher in women diagnosed with CIN 2+ than ≤CIN 1. The concordance was largely higher in Cas than in Aas. The NPV and PPV values to detect CIN lesions were similar between the two assays. CONCLUSION: Utilization of the HPV E1 assay as a tool for CC screening could be a cost-effective approach that applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.