ATHENA trial—an interview with Thomas Lorey, MD

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June 2014—The Food and Drug Administration on April 24 approved use of the Roche Cobas HPV test as a primary standalone screen for cervical cancer in women 25 and older. CAP TODAY writer William Check, PhD, asked questions of Thomas S. Lorey, MD, medical director, TPMG Regional Reference Laboratory, Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Their questions and answers follow. For a discussion of the ATHENA data on which the FDA based its decision, see Dr. Check’s June story “Data spark new directions in cervical cancer.”

CAP TODAY: What do the data show about the sensitivity of primary HPV screening relative to combined HPV and Pap cytology cotesting?