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HPV Test More Effective than Pap Smear for Early Cervical Cancer Detection: Study

Although most women are accustomed to having Pap smears to test for cervical cancer, a new study found that the HPV test may be a more effective way to catch often-preventable cancer before it progresses.
Most cervical cancers are caused by particular strains of the Human papillomavirus or HPV. The test for detecting HPV is simpler than a Pap smear and, the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found, it may be better at catching the earliest cervical cancer stages.
Pap smears involve scraping cells from the cervix and examining them for cancerous changes, also known as “cytology” testing. They detect only around 55 percent of true cases, according to a study by the Canadian Cervical Cancer Screening Trial Study Group, and requires a special process using a liquid medium that takes several days.
The HPV test, which has not traditionally been offered to all women, might be simpler and more accurate. The test uses a similar technique, but with an easier process of using vaginal swabs, and relies on detecting the HPV virus via DNA. According to the same trial study group, the test finds 94.6 percent of suspected cervical cancer cases.