Although it is possible that a test for the virus that causes cervical cancer may one day replace the Pap test, experts say years of additional research are needed before a change is made.
Currently, a trend is to give both a Pap and a human papillomavirus test to improve screening accuracy. However, government researchers report that nearly one in ten women over age 30 who gets both tests learns she has been infected with HPV even though her Pap test is normal. These women need repeat testing.
Both the Pap and the HPV test have advantages and disadvantages. Pap tests can miss cancer, but slowly developing abnormalities can be caught the next time testing is done. A positive HPV test detects that virus is present, but it cannot measure duration of infection or actual abnormalities on the cervix, requiring more in-depth follow-up testing. The HPV test is more sensitive, and recent studies have found that a stand-alone HPV test is more accurate than a Pap at identifying women at risk of or with cancer. However, repeat testing may be necessary.
"One HPV test does not tell you very much. Two consecutive HPV tests are what you need," said Debbie Saslow of the American Cancer Society.
Paps are "going to be around for the next decade, I will say at least for the next decade," said Dr. Diane Solomon of the National Cancer Institute. "But we may not be doing as many Paps in 10 years as we're doing now."
4/21/08
UNITED STATES: Pap Smears Still Needed, More Interest in New Tests, Too
Source: Associated Press:: Lauran Neergaard; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention