Inter-laboratory validation of PCR-based HPV detection in pathology specimens

The detection and typing of human papilloma virus (HPV) in pathology specimens is gaining increasingly in importance. In the context of the initiative for quality assurance in pathology (QuIP) of the German Society of Pathology and the Professional Association of German Pathologists, four panel laboratories with experience and expertise in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based HPV detection were selected to establish an inter-laboratory trial. In a first step, these laboratories performed an internal testing of their own methodologies, which comprised DNA sequencing, multiplex nested PCR and hybridization techniques. Material from 39 samples including paraffin sections and DNA preparations of tissues and plasmids were evaluated by each panel institute according to their own protocols. Despite the different methodologies, a high degree of inter-laboratory reliability was achieved. In this report, we summarise the results. Pretested specimens are available for the external trail and can be ordered from the steering institute via provitro GmbH Berlin (http://www.provitro.de). Supplementary data are online available at http://pathologie-ccm. charite.de (rubric Forschung), which includes a web-based photo gallery of HPV-associated lesions and their potential association with specific virus types. The initiative is intended to foster the quality assurance of molecular HPV analysis in pathology and its correlation with morphological changes.