Colposcopy Versus HPV Testing to Identify Persistent Cervical Precancers (CoHIPP)

March 17, 2026 updated by: Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Routine Colposcopy to HPV Testing to Identify Persistent or Recurrent High Grade Cervical Cancer Precursors

This trial will compare HPV testing to the routine colposcopy in the follow-up of women treated for cervical high grade lesions. Women will be assigned randomly (by chance) after treatment of cervical pre-cancer to be either (1) followed-up by colposcopy, or (2) undergo HPV testing. Women found to have disease by either strategy will be offered re-treatment. For the next 2 years participants will undergo yearly, in depth, evaluation to assess the cervix for precancer. We will then be able to compare which of the 2 follow-up strategies worked best.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Background and rational: Cervical cancer ranks twelfth in terms of cancer mortality in Canadian women, but remains the second most frequent cancer in Canadian women aged 20-44. Fortunately, its natural history makes it an ideal candidate for successful prevention. Cervical cancer and its precursors are caused by a persistent infection of the cervical epithelium by one of the 15 oncogenic (or high risk) types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs). The preinvasive changes of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) can be identified through cervical cytology (also known as the Pap test). When cellular abnormalities are identified, women are referred for diagnostic testing. High-grade precursor lesions (CIN2/3) carry a high risk of progression to invasive cancer and for this reason their treatment is recommended. Treatment success rates of CIN2/3 are 85%. However, those who fail treatment need to be identified promptly because their risk of invasive disease is increased more then 10 fold. The current strategy used in Canada to identify treatment failures consists of a follow-up every 6 months in colposcopy clinics for 2 years. Recent research underlines the fact that routine colposcopy is unreliable and may miss significant lesions. The identification of oncogenic HPV DNA in the cervical secretions is known as HPV testing. A few studies have investigated the use of HPV testing in the identification of treatment failures. Although they point to a very good sensitivity (90-95%) there were methodological limitations: studies were small; the HPV test used was often not suitable for clinical laboratory use; endpoints were not assessed by histological confirmation. Most importantly, none compared HPV testing to colposcopy, the strategy used in Canada. Research question: Is HPV testing more sensitive than routine colposcopy to identify CIN2/3 treatment failures? Methodology: Design: We propose a parallel randomized controlled trial, where participants will be randomized 1:1 to routine colposcopy vs. HPV testing after treatment of CIN2/3 lesions. Study Population: Women treated for high-grade precursor lesions. Exclusion criteria are: pregnancy, less than 18 years of age, known immunosuppression or immunodeficiency, unable to provide informed consent. Study interventions: (1) HPV testing with Hybrid Capture 2. (2) Routine colposcopy. In order to evaluate the performance of the current follow-up strategy, there will be no standardized protocol for the colposcopy intervention, but documentation of procedures will be done. Patients will receive the study interventions 6 months after treatment. All participants will undergo expert diagnostic assessment at 12 and 24. Sample size calculation and recruitment rate. The sample size was calculated to have 80% power to detect an increase in sensitivity of 15%, with an alpha set at 0.05 (double sided test). Assuming a conservative baseline sensitivity of 70% for colposcopy, 134 cases of recurrent/persistent disease will be necessary in each study group. Assuming a 15% failure rate of treatment and a 20% drop out rate, a total of 2250 participants will need to be accrued. Recruitment will take place in high volume colposcopy clinics across Canada over 2 years. Analysis: The primary analysis will consist of the comparison of the diagnostic indices of the 2 follow-up strategies: sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (with their 95% asymptotic confidence intervals). Cumulative persistent/recurrent cases identified during the 2 year follow-up will make up the case group. Since all participants will undergo expert diagnostic assessment. No subgroup analysis will be performed. 4. Expected contribution: The result from this trial will provide high quality data on which to base management recommendation. If HPV testing is found to be more sensitive than routine colposcopy, follow-up of treated lesion may occur mainly in primary care physician's office with HPV testing, reducing costs, and making it possible to focus colposcopy activities on a group of women truly at risk of significant disease.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
2253

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2X 0A9
        • Centre de recherche du CHUM

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Woman ≥ 18 years old 19 in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland)
  • Understands English or French (for sites where French speaking coordinator is available)
  • Is treated for biopsy proven CIN II, III or AIS
  • Understands study procedures, available alternatives treatment, risks related to study, and accepts voluntarily to participate by signing the ICF.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • has been treated for cervical cancer or pre-cancer in the past
  • Participant has known immunosuppression or immunodeficiency
  • Planned hysterectomy

  • Participant is receiving or has received one of the following treatment :

    • Immunosuppressive therapy in the three months prior to enrollment
    • Corticosteroid therapy in the two weeks prior to enrollment
    • Two or more courses of corticosteroids (orally or parenterally) lasting at least one week in duration in the year prior to enrollment (inhalation, nasal or topical corticosteroids are permitted)
  • There is a strong probability that the participant will not follow the procedures of study, will not come to its appointment, or plans a delocalization throughout study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: HPV testing
Women randomized to this arm will undergo high risk HPV DNA testing using Hybrid Capture 2®.
Other: high risk HPV DNA testing
Specimens will be collected with a cervical cytobrush and cervical cells will be resuspended in 2 ml of Preservcyt® (Hologic LP), a liquid cytology preservation media. 75µl of processed sample will be hybridized with 25 µl of probe B mixture. The assay is completed as a standard enzyme immunoassay with the addition of a dioxetane-based chemiluminescent substrate. Specimens will be considered positive for HPV if the ratio of RLUs of the specimen to the mean RLUs of triplicates of positive control (at 1 pg per ml or 5000 copies of HPV genome per test) is at least one.
Other Names:
  • Hybrid Capture 2®
Active Comparator: Routine colposcopy
Women will be followed in the colposcopy clinic as usual, with no standardized protocol, tests are left at the discretion of the treating physician, in order to document routine proactive. We will document all procedures (biopsies, endocervical curettage, cytology, etc) and their outcome.
Other: Active comparator: Routine colposcopy
Women will undergo colposcopy, with no standardized protocol; tests are left at the discretion of the treating physician, in order to document routine proactive. We will document all procedures (biopsies, endocervical curettage, cytology, etc) and their outcome.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Sensitivity of HPV testing and sensitivity of routine colposcopy to identify CIN2 or worse disease after treatment for CIN 2/3
Time Frame: 6 months post treatment
6 months post treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The area under the respective ROC curves (HPV testing and routine colposcopy)
Time Frame: 6 months post treatment
6 months post treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Terry Fox Foundation

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Marie-Hélène Mayrand, MD,PhD, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2015

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 18, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 19, 2010

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 20, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 17, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 09.078

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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