Comparative performance of hrHPV testing and PAX1/ZNF671 methylation in triaging women with abnormal cytology: a study of paired urine, vaginal and cervical scrape samples

The prevalence of methylation for PAX1/ZNF671 genes exhibited a strong positive correlation with the severity of cervical lesions, and demonstrates a better diagnostic value for CIN2+ lesions. DNA methylation testing, especially PAX1/ZNF671 offers a promising strategy to detect CIN2/3 lesions or more serious disease. Cervical samples were the perfect candidates for DNA methylation. Furthermore, PAX1/ZNF671 methylation assays had a strong capacity in screening and excludingCIN2+ lesions among HPV-negative individuals.