Being positive for both HPV and TCT does not confirm a diagnosis of cancer.
Positive HPV and TCT indicate the possibility of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, which only means that the risk of cervical cancer is relatively high. Further colposcopy plus cervical biopsy and pathology tests are needed to definitively diagnose whether a patient has cervical cancer.
HPV is human papillomavirus. There are more than 100 types of human papillomaviruses, of which more than a dozen can cause disease, such as most of the cervical cancer caused by subtypes 16 and 18 HPV.
TCT test, also known as cervical liquid-based cytology, is mainly used to detect whether abnormal patterns occur in the exfoliated cells of the cervix, and is a technical test to screen for cervical cancer and precancerous lesions by categorizing the cervical cells.
Clinically, the results of TCT are used to determine whether or not to proceed to the next step, such as colposcopy plus cervical biopsy, and then diagnose whether or not cervical cancer is present based on the pathologic results of the biopsy.
Therefore, positive HPV and TCT are not necessarily cancer, patients should not worry too much, so as not to aggravate the condition with anxiety, but they should consult the doctor in time, do the next examination, ask the doctor to give a clear diagnosis, and actively cooperate with the doctor’s treatment.