Patent ID: 8043819

Claim:
A method for discrimination of p16 INK4a overexpressing metaplasias from p16 INK4a overexpressing neoplastic or dysplastic lesions in a uterine cervical sample in the course of cytological testing procedures comprising: (a) determining the presence or absence of cell overexpression of p16 INK4a in said sample; (b) determining the presence or absence of cells expressing at least one high risk HPV gene-product in said sample; (c) assessing simultaneous presence of cells expressing high risk HPV gene-products with cells overexpressing p16 INK4a or the presence of cells overexpressing p16 INK4a alone; (d) categorizing neoplastic or dysplastic lesion from the assessment in step (c) of the simultaneous presence of cells expressing high risk HPV gene-products with cells overexpressing p16 INK4a ; and (e) categorizing lesions assessed in step (c) that overexpress p16 INK4a alone as not being uterine cervical neoplastic lesions and not being uterine cervical dysplastic lesions.