The IMproving Primary screening and Colposcopy Triage (IMPACT) trial proved that women who have a positive HIV test can profit from Roche’s dual-stain biomarker technology,

CINtec PLUS Cytology.

“There has been a positive change in the clinical recommendations for initial HPV screening with an aim to increase the accessibility of technology“

About 35,000 women between 25 and 65 were involved in the study. It concluded that those who were assessed using CINtec PLUS Cytology have a higher chance of cervical cancer identification. This screening is hugely beneficial because it can detect who is vulnerable before the cancer grows past the original tissue or cells where it developed.

Those who test positive for HIV have a small risk of getting abnormalities in the cells of their cervix which have the potential to become cancerous. Detecting risk at an early stage is imperative to saving lives.

There has been a positive change in the clinical recommendations for initial HPV screening with an aim to increase the accessibility of technology. This is to be able to cope with the demand for cervical screening programs.

Thomas Schinecker, CEO Roche Diagnostics, said “As we approach the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, Roche is committed to investing in and leading efforts such as the IMPACT trial to bring forth clinically validated solutions for women. The elimination of cervical cancer is within reach, and all countries must act now so that women, no matter where in the world they live, no longer die from this preventable disease. Our investment in HPV primary screening and next-generation biomarker technology gives clinicians even more powerful tools in the fight against cervical cancer.”

Dr. Thomas Wright, Professor Emeritus in Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University, said "These latest results from the IMPACT trial confirm data from previous studies that show incorporating the CINtec PLUS Cytology test in cervical cancer screening programs can provide real benefits to both clinicians and their patients. As a triage test for HPV-positive cervical cancer screening results, the CINtec PLUS Cytology test can be very useful to differentiate women who will benefit most from immediate referral to colposcopy from those women who can be followed up with less invasive methods.”