New HPV Guidelines Issued

New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say doctors should not follow the most aggressive course of action with teenage patients whose Pap tests indicate HPV infection and abnormal cells.

Dr. Richard Guido, who chaired the panel convened to develop the recommendations, said they will help health care providers avoid over-treating teens. "We felt that adolescents are a special population and our message is to make sure that clinicians who take care of them are aware of the special nature and issues that relate to adolescents."

HPV is a known cause of cervical cancer. But most HPV infections and abnormal cervical cells regress without treatment in 13-24 months in teens with normally functioning immune systems. With the likelihood of spontaneous resolution high, the panel determined there was no need to risk damage to tissue and future fertility with invasive treatment.

"Traditionally, treatment of high-grade cervical dysplasia was excision," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. "New studies have revealed that low-grade and even high-grade cervical dysplasia will often self-resolve in adolescents. Excisional procedures would thus be unnecessary and possibly detrimental to these patients."

The full report, "Human Papillomavirus Triage for Young Women with Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance," was published in Obstetrics & Gynecology (2006;107:822-829).

Back to other news for April 10, 2006