Hey Fredo,

I heard about the new HPV DNA test for women. Would this essentially work for men as well? If so, would it detect all types of HPV (Including genital wart causing strains)?

Will this be available for men anytime soon?

Even if it isn't available for men, would there be special instances in which it would be? I know that before the Gardasil vaccine was approved for men, some men were able to obtain it through certain circumstances.

Thanks for the help.

Hey boonieboy,

Good to chat with you again. There are two new HPV tests approved, the Cervista high-risk HPV test and the Cervista HPV 16/18 genotyping test.

The first test can detect if a woman has any of the high-risk HPV types, but doesn't state specifically which one. If that test is postive, then the second one can be used to nail down if she has either HPV 16 or HPV 18, information which can help health care providers figure out the best follow-up for her.

Neither test is currently approved for use with men and, as is the case with Gardasil, any such use is considered "off label." I'll post an article on the new tests below.

Let me know if you have any other questions about this, ok?

Best,
Fredo

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ASHA Moderator

New HPV DNA Tests Approved by FDA

Two new tests for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) have been licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), arming health care professionals with additional tools to screen women for cervical cancer.

Hologic Corporation’s Cervista™ HPV High-Risk (HR) test was approved for use, along with a Pap test, as a follow-up test to determine which women with unclear Pap test results (known as Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance, or ASC-US) have HPV and may benefit from a referral to additional diagnostic procedures. The test is also indicated for use as part of routine cervical cancer screening, in combination with a Pap test, for women age 30 or over. Women in this age group with HPV are more likely to have persistent infections and elevated risk for cervical cancer. The indication for the Cervista HPV HR test is similar to that of the digene HPV Test Digene’s Hybrid Capture 2 HPV test, which was approved for clinical use in 2003.

The Cervista HPV 16/18 Genotyping test was also green-lighted by the FDA. This test checks directly for HPV types 16 and 18, which together are responsible for approximately 70% of cervical cancers. This test has promise in helping health care provides identify which women may be at greatest risk of developing the disease, and is approved for use (in combination with a Pap test and Cervista HR test) as primary cervical cancer screening with women age 30 and older, and to determine if HPV16/18 are present with ASC-US Pap results.

(C) 2009 The American Social Health Association
Posted by Fredo

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ASHA Moderator

Interesting stuff, Fredo. If they are able to figure out whether it's type 16 or 18, why wouldn't this work with types 6 and 11?

I'm still debating whether or not to get a biopsy done as it is expensive, but at this point, I think that will be the most logical. I'm just worried about possible site scarring. It's weird because I tried to schedule an appointment with a Dermatologist again, and most of the ones I've found only take patients based on a referral from a primary physician.

Do you think there will in the (somewhat) near future, methods that will distinguish all HPV types with a simple blood test?

Thanks.

based on my experiances with having a biopsy's performed they are a waste of time, yes they confirm HPV but i found that initially i got my hopes up thinking the test would come back negative, but after the fourth and fifth biopsy i saw no benifit in continuing.
IMO I think if they were to biospy a section that showed no signs of a wart being present, they would still see that HPV was present.

This was just my experiance and you may have different results, a healthy lifestyle, strong character and positive outlook is what i decided to focus my effort on.

ert7,

Are you a male? Why did you have 5 biopsies? Did any scarring occur?

Bump for ol' Fredo

Yes male, living in Canada so there was not cost to me for biopsy. I can't see where the scarring is, if i look real close i can but i've never noticed it without close inspection.

I have the 5 biopsys in my first year with HPV, after i dealt with the presistence reoccurance I haven't had a biopsy since.

I've had it for 10 years and after the first 3-4 years i was always going in to get any little bump frozen off. Sometimes i wondered if they were even warts because they were so small.