To assess the real-life screening outcomes for women aged 60–64 years when cytology was substituted with human papillomavirus (HPV) testing was the goal. Using the Danish national pathology record, researchers examined screening outcomes during two consecutive calendar periods, one in which women were tested with cytology and the other in which the majority of women were screened with HPV testing. The proportions of women with positive test findings, high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 2 or worse), and cervical cancer were our primary outcomes. Women tested during the HPV testing period were more likely than women screened during the cytology period to obtain a positive screening test result. There was also an increase in the identification of CIN 2 or worse, but no rise in screen-detected cervical cancer diagnoses. The risk of a cervical cancer diagnosis was approximately 4 per 100,000 woman-years in the first 4 years after a negative screening test result, including 168,477 woman-years at risk after a negative screen result in the HPV period and 451,421 woman-years at risk after a negative screen result in the cytology period, and was similar for both screening tests.
Human papillomavirus testing resulted in higher positive screening test results and high-grade CIN lesion diagnosis. After a negative screening test result, just a few women were diagnosed with cervical cancer.
