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Study: Test Better Than Pap Smear
HPV DNA Test Could Mean Pap Once Every 3 Years
POSTED: 3:45 pm MST February 24,
2008
UPDATED: 7:03 am MST February 25,
2008
DENVER -- It's a relatively new test with new research backing up its benefits and if you fit the right profile you may be able to only have a Pap smear once every three years. It's the HPV DNA test used to detect cervical cancer-- a cancer that is diagnosed in about 10,000 women in the U.S. each year. A Canadian study found out of 10,000 women the HPV test correctly found 95 percent of the lesions that could develop into cervical cancer while the Pap test found 55 percent
But that doesn't mean women can say so long to the swabbing of the cervix, you still have the Pap test. The HPV is just another test using the same sample from the Pap. Dr. Chris Carey at Denver Health Medical Center said the HPV test can also provide women peace of mind. "If Pap smear is mildly abnormal and HPV is negative, then a woman doesn't have to have a coloposy or biopsy." Those are procedures that can be painful and costly. The other possibility is not having to have a Pap Smear every year. Dr. Carey said, "If a woman is 30 years of age and has never had an abnormal pap smear, and her HPV test if negative, pap normal then she can safely wait up to three years before getting another pap smear." Your gynecologist may not know about it either. Dr. Carey said, "It is new information, test is relatively new. So we are still figuring out the best ways to use this test." Still, with a 95 percent detection rate, it's information worth talking about with your doctor. Carey doesn't expect Pap tests to go away, "I don't see the HPV test replacing Pap smear. I think there will be continued experiments in learning on when we can use them in conjunction." The test is more expensive which may be why it's not used everywhere. Again, the HPV test seems to be more appropriate for women 30 and older. For now, the American Cancer Society said women should be screened using the Pap test or the Pap plus the HPV test if she chooses. The FDA has not approve the HPV test to use used by itself but another study is under way. In 2003, the FDA approved the HPV test for use along with the Pap smear for women over 30 years old. For more information about the HPV go to, www.thehpvtest.com
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