Speaking at EUROGIN 2024, Prof Dietmar Schmidt, Consultant Pathologist at MVZ Histology, Cytology and Molecular Diagnostics, talks about the benefits of using p16/Ki67 dual staining biomarkers as a predictor of risk for HPV-positive patients.

Now with routine vaccination programmes being implemented alongside HPV primary screening in many countries, experts are looking to optimise the triage phase of this screening process. With p16/Ki67 dual stain biomarkers, this ensures a test that is both high in specificity and sensitivity, providing clear results and identifies patients who would benefit most from colposcopy. Citing the landmark IMPACT trial and the Kaiser Permanente (KPNC)/NCI study, Dr Schmidt elaborates on the benefits of this test method with its ability to stratify risk in HPV-positive patients, not only over pap cytology alone, but also when combined with partial genotyping.

He also discusses the recent update made to the Enduring Consensus Cervical Cancer Screening and Management Guidelines in March 2024, which includes the use of dual stain technology in the following scenarios (see flowchart below):