Is the Pap smear disappearing?

WEDNESDAY, July 4, 2018 – The Pap test, used for more than 50 years to detect early signs of cervical cancer, may soon be a thing of the past, suggests a new study.

His replacement? The human papillomavirus test. Almost all cases of cervical cancer are related to HPV infection, and HPV testing has detected pre-cancers earlier and more accurately than the Pap test. among the 19,000 women studied in Canada

. The researchers found that women whose HPV testing showed that they did not have the infection were less likely to develop a pre-cancerous lesion over the next four years, compared to women who had obtained the Pap test alone

"All women of childbearing age should Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Senior Researcher at the School of Population and Public Health of the University of Colombia British Columbia, in Vancouver, said that thousands of women's lives have been saved because the Pap test has been detected. uterine cervix cancer in its infancy. But the latest and most accurate HPV test can replace Pap smear as the preferred screening test, Ogilvie said.

U.S. Studies have shown that the real benefit comes from the HPV test, she added.

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, women ages 21 to 29 should have a Pap test alone every three years.

Women between the ages of 30 and 65 should have a Pap test and an HPV test every five years or a Pap test every three years.

A new draft directive from the US Preventive Services Task Force Specifically, the working group recommends screening every three years with a Pap test alone or every five years with a single HPV test for women aged 29 to 25 years. 65 years.

According to Ogilvie, the Pap test is still the norm because many young women are infected with HPV.

Cervical cancer is very rare in young women, and an HPV test could send many women.

For the study, researchers randomly assigned more than 19,000 women aged 25 and over to Pap tests or HPV tests alone. After four years, almost six in every 1,000 women who had had a Pap test had precancerous lesions, compared to only two in every 1,000 women who had had an HPV test alone.

The results were published July 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

An Expert Expects to See the End of Pap Tests in Favor of HPV Testing

"The Pap Test Will Disappear," said Dr. L. Stewart Massad, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

This trial has shown that HPV screening can be used to diagnose pre-cancer of the cervix earlier and identify cases not detected by the Pap test. "Said Massad, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study.

But Dr. Jason Wright, Chief of Gynecologic Oncology at New York-Presbyterian / Columbia Medical University Center New York, I We are not ready to opt for the HPV test alone.

"It's a study," he said. The Pap smear has been around for 50 years, so co-testing is a viable option, Wright said.

"But we will gradually move to more HPV testing for primary screening," he said. "It will probably be a slow process."

Women should discuss the risks and benefits of each test with their doctor, Wright said.

More Information

Learn More About Cervical Cancer Screening Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

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