On Friday 22 May 2026 at 14:00, Ane-Kersti Skaarup Knudsen defends her PhD dissertation entitled “Cervical precancer – Improvement of the diagnostics and treatment”. 

Cervical cancer can be prevented through screening and HPV vaccination. Screening identifies women at highest risk of developing the disease and its precursors, and who therefore require further diagnostic work-up. Diagnostic work-up for cervical cancer and its precursors (CIN2+) is performed using colposcopy with a visual examination of the cervix and tissue sampling.
In Denmark, it is recommended to obtain four biopsies regardless of the colposcopic impression, and colposcopy is most often performed using a conventional method. In other Nordic countries, a more modern, systematic approach known as the Swedescore is used. It has not previously been investigated which of these two colposcopic methods is superior for detecting CIN2+, or whether the number of biopsies can be reduced without compromising diagnostic accuracy. Treatment of precancerous lesions is performed by conization (LLETZ), whereby the lesions are removed. Effective and adequate treatment is essential to reduce a woman’s risk of developing cancer.

In a new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, PhD student Ane-Kersti Skaarup Knudsen conducted a multicentre clinical study comparing two colposcopic methods (the Swedescore method versus the conventional method) with regard to detection of CIN2+. The PhD student also investigated whether the two methods could be used to reduce the number of biopsies without compromising diagnostic accuracy. Finally, nationwide data from the Danish Pathology Registry were used to examine the proportion of women receiving adequate treatment for precancerous lesions.
The results indicate that a systematic approach using the Swedescore, compared with the conventional method, may improve the diagnostic accuracy of detecting CIN2+, and that the routine collection of four biopsies may be reconsidered. Furthermore, the study shows that approximately 50% of Danish women have clear resection margins, and about 62% have a negative HPV test following LLETZ.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in the Aula, Regional Hospital Gødstrup. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Ane-Kersti Skaarup Knudsen
Mail: ane-kersti@clin.au.dk 
Phone: +45 20875276

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