A new study conducted by the National Institutes of health s National Cancer Institute has found that negative tests for the human papillomavirus virus (HPV) are more reliable in predicting whether a woman will develop cancer or other abnormal cervical changes over a three year period, as compared to a Pap test.
This past April, the FDA approved an HPV test for primary cervical cancer screening. The new test involves examining the viral DNA of samples taken from a woman s cervix for strains of HPV known to be associated with cancer. HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection, causes about 90 percent of cervical cancers. And the majority of the 79 million people who have HPV do not know they have the infection, although the large majority of such infections are eliminated by the body s immune system with no untoward effects. However, there are about 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer in American women each year, resulting in 4,000 deaths.
Researchers used data from over one million women, ages 30 to 64, who were screened for cervical cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Women who had a negative HPV test or Pap smear were followed for three years. Women who received both tests were followed for five years. Of those who had a negative Pap smear or HPV test, 20 out of 100,000 and 11 out of 100,000 women respectively developed cervical cancer during the next three years. In the five years following co-testing, 14 out of 100,000 women developed cervical cancer.
Despite these findings, Dr. Julia Gage, lead author of the study, says this does not mean the end of Pap smears. The tests may still have a role in monitoring whether women with HPV, who are at an increased risk of cancer go on to develop abnormal cervical cells. And Dr. Mario Leitao Jr, a gynecological surgeon at New York s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centers adds, There will be a lot of variables in deciding which test is best for women. The best way to do it is still to be determined but it's important they have some form of cervical cancer screening at least every three years.
