14P Evaluation of PAX1/JAM3 gene methylation detection for cervical cancer screening: A prospective multi-center study

Cervical cancer presents a significant health and economic threat to women. Efficient and accurate screening strategies are crucial for achieving "cervical cancer elimination". This study is a multi-center prospective study aimed at evaluating the application value of PAX1/JAM3 gene methylation (PAX1m/JAM3m) detection in cervical cancer screening. The research included a total of over 6000 women in gynecological outpatient clinics from May to October 2022. Cervical scraping cells were collected for PAX1m/JAM3m testing and compared with liquid-based thin-layer cytology testing (TCT) and high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) DNA testing. Ethics registration number of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences: KS2021211 (approved on April 25, 2021). The results showed that PAX1m/JAM3m detection has high AUC, sensitivity, and specificity in identifying CIN2+ (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or more severe) at 0.85, 74.1%, and 95.9%, and CIN3+ at 0.87, 87.6%, and 86.8%. The study also indicated that PAX1m/JAM3m detection has significant advantages over TCT or hrHPV testing in identifying CIN3+. Therefore, the study concluded that PAX1m/JAM3m detection has excellent accuracy in cervical cancer screening and is expected to replace cytology screening as a triage option for hrHPV-positive women in opportunistic cervical cancer screening in hospitals. Overall, the large-scale study highlights the high accuracy of PAX1m/JAM3m detection in opportunistic cervical cancer screening in hospitals, especially in the detection of CIN2+ and CIN3+. The results suggest that PAX1m/JAM3m detection has the potential to become a precise tool for cervical cancer screening in the future, which is of great significance for optimizing cervical cancer screening strategies. This method may become a promising alternative to traditional screening methods and provide a more accurate screening option for hrHPV-positive women in the future.