BACKGROUND: The clinical relevance of the amount of @entity1082 type 18 (HPV18) DNA in cervical tissue (ie, HPV18 DNA load) is unknown. METHODS: Study subjects were 303 @entity1 who were HPV18 positive at enrollment into the Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASC-US) and @entity2784 ( @entity2784 ) Triage Study. HPV18 DNA load, expressed as copies of HPV18 per nanogram of cellular DNA, at enrollment was quantitatively measured. Subjects were followed up semiannually for a period of 2 years for detection of @entity3146 2-3 (CIN2-3). A linear regression model was used to examine associations of CIN2-3 with HPV18 DNA load. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: CIN2-3 was confirmed in 92 of 303 (30.4%) HPV18-positive @entity1 . Among @entity1 without CIN2-3, HPV18 DNA load was positively associated with increasing severity of cervical cytology at enrollment (Ptrend < .001). However, among those with CIN2-3, HPV18 DNA load was not associated with severity of cervical cytology at enrollment (Ptrend = .33). The ratios of geometric means of HPV18 DNA load at enrollment among @entity1 with CIN2-3, relative to those without, were 6.06 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.31 to 117.92) for those with normal cytology at enrollment, 0.50 (95% CI = 0.10 to 2.44) for those with ASC-US, 0.11 (95% CI = 0.03 to 0.46) for those with @entity2784 , and 0.07 (95% CI = 0.01 to 0.80) for those with @entity2784 ( @entity2784 ). After adjusting for age and coinfection with other high-risk HPVs, a statistically significant association of lower HPV18 DNA load with CIN2-3 was observed among @entity1 with @entity2784 or @entity2784 at enrollment (P = .02). Within the 2-year period, HPV18 DNA load was unrelated to the timing of CIN2-3 diagnosis. Overall results were similar when the outcome was CIN3. CONCLUSIONS: HPV18 DNA load was higher for @entity1 with @entity2784 or @entity2784 at enrollment with no evidence of CIN2-3 during the 2-year follow-up period than it was for @entity1 with CIN2-3. Thus, testing for high levels of HPV18 DNA does not appear to be clinically useful.

XXXX type 18 DNA load and 2-year cumulative diagnoses of @entity3146 grades 2-3.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women'] @entity2784 :: ('MESH:D065310', 'Disease') :: ['Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion', 'LSIL', 'HSIL', 'high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion'] @entity1082 :: ('10566', 'Species') :: ['human papillomavirus'] @entity3146 :: ('MESH:D018290', 'Disease') :: ['cervical intraepithelial neoplasia']
@entity1082 :: (10566,Species) :: ['Human papillomavirus']
