DNA Testing for HPV Could Replace Pap Smear
April 8, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
Some researchers believe that the Pap smear may soon be a relic of the past. It could be replaced with a DNA test performed once every three or five years.
The new DNA test faces opposition though. Some doctors don’t want to start using it because the annual Pap smear is what brings in patients each year for important check-ups. Plus, old habits are hard to break.
The DNA test still requires cervical scraping, but results are read by a machine. Since the test is more accurate and does not rely on trained pathologists, it may be very beneficial to women in developing countries who can’t get screened as often.
An eight-year study, conducted in India and financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, found that a single round of DNA screening for HPV dramatically reduced the incidence of advanced cervical cancer and mortality within eight years. It beat other traditional methods of preventing advanced cancer. The study results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine . (Read the full text online.)
While the DNA test hasn’t yet been accepted as standard of care in the US, how do you feel about being tested less often, but more accurately?
(Sources: The New England Journal of Medicine and The New York Times . Image via stock.xchng. )
