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| Dr Hoàng Thị Diễm Tuyết, the head of Hùng Vương Hospital, speaks about the new HPV test that can identify high-risk HPV at a symposium held last week in HCM City that discussed the use of the test to screen for cervical cancer. — VNS Photo Ngô Đồng |
Viet Nam News
HCM CITY — Hùng Vương Hospital, which specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology, has been chosen to administer the HPV (Aptima human papillomavirus) test to detect the presence and activity of high-risk HPV.
The hospital is the first in the country to offer the test, according to Dr Hoàng Thị Diễm Tuyết, the hospital’s head, who spoke at a symposium on using HPV tests to screen for cervical cancer last week.
The Aptima HPV test offers better sensitivity and increased specificity than other tests.
The test, which provides information about 14 high-risk HPV types, helps doctors focus on women who need care the most, she added.
There are many different kinds of tests that detect HPV and classify the risk levels of more than 100 types of HPV.
However, these tests do not show the presence and activity of high-risk HPV, according to Tuyết.
With the Aptima HPV test, health staff draw blood and a machine then analyses the results, she said, adding that this helps eliminate factors that could result in inaccurate readings.
HPV infections are the leading cause of cervical cancer, which is one of the most common cancers among women in the world.
Around 493,000 new incidences of cervical cancer occur globally each year, while 6,000 cases are diagnosed in Việt Nam annually, Tuyết said.
According to the World Health Organisation, 274,000 people die from cervical cancer worldwide each year. — VNS
