Table 1.

HPV methods of detection used to identify HPV genotype.

Methods	Specificity	Sensitivity	Advantages and disadvantages
Southern Blotting Assay	High	High	Ability to differentiate between episomal and integrated DNA. Not easily applied to FFPE samples
ISH	High	Low	Ability to differentiate between episomal and integrated DNA. Low sensitivity
HPV PCR	High	Low	Cost-effective Does not quantitate viral load or inform whether the virus is active (low sensitivity).
Real-time PCR	High	High	Ability to differentiate between episomal and integrated DNA. Not easily applied to FFPE samples and is labor-intensive.
Reverse Transcriptase PCR	High	High	High sensitivity Time-consuming
p16 Immunostaining	Low	High	Identifies marker of transcriptionally active virus. Low specificity
Signal Amplification Methods	High	Low	Methodology easily performed (user-friendly) May produce false positives (low sensitivity)