Pap smear inaccurate in diagnosis of cervical cancer
Apr 30, 2010
Cervical cancer screening intervals could be extended for women aged 30 and over if doctors used human papillomavirus (HPV) testing rather than pap smear tests.
Cervical cancer screening intervals could be extended for women aged 30 and over if doctors used human papillomavirus (HPV) testing rather than pap smear tests.
Experts said research into different screening methods found that HPV tests were more accurate in picking up early signs of cervical cancer and detected more serious abnormalities than conventional smear tests in women aged 30 and above.
“Using HPV testing as the primary screening method for cervical cancer would not only mean women could be screened less often but it would also mean efficiency savings,†said Jack Cuzick, a professor of epidemiology at Queen Mary, University of London, who worked on the study.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. There are more than 100 types of the virus, some of which cause only genital warts but others cervical cancer.
According to the World Health Organisation, cervical cancer is the second biggest cause of female cancer deaths worldwide with about 288,000 deaths each year.
Cervical screening programmes are well established in many wealthy nations and immunisation programmes against HPV with vaccines such as Cervarix from GlaxoSmithKline and Gardasil from Merck & Co are also being rolled out.
Cuzick’s study, which was published in the British Journal of Cancer, involved 11,000 women in the UK. Two samples were taken from each woman and one analysed using the conventional cytology method, while the other was sent for HPV testing.
The results showed that women with HPV negative results had a lower rate of developing pre-cancerous cells for at least six years compared with women who recorded a negative cytology result, showing that HPV testing was more accurate.
REUTERS
Experts said research into different screening methods found that HPV tests were more accurate in picking up early signs of cervical cancer and detected more serious abnormalities than conventional smear tests in women aged 30 and above.
“Using HPV testing as the primary screening method for cervical cancer would not only mean women could be screened less often but it would also mean efficiency savings,†said Jack Cuzick, a professor of epidemiology at Queen Mary, University of London, who worked on the study.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. There are more than 100 types of the virus, some of which cause only genital warts but others cervical cancer.
According to the World Health Organisation, cervical cancer is the second biggest cause of female cancer deaths worldwide with about 288,000 deaths each year.
Cervical screening programmes are well established in many wealthy nations and immunisation programmes against HPV with vaccines such as Cervarix from GlaxoSmithKline and Gardasil from Merck & Co are also being rolled out.
Cuzick’s study, which was published in the British Journal of Cancer, involved 11,000 women in the UK. Two samples were taken from each woman and one analysed using the conventional cytology method, while the other was sent for HPV testing.
The results showed that women with HPV negative results had a lower rate of developing pre-cancerous cells for at least six years compared with women who recorded a negative cytology result, showing that HPV testing was more accurate.
REUTERS