Reasons Pap Tests Used More Than HPV Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening
USA Today Examines Reasons Pap Tests Used More Than HPV Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening [Nov 02, 2007]
USA Today on Thursday examined the reasons Pap tests remain the top cervical cancer screening tool despite some recent studies that found human papillomavirus tests to be "superior" tools (Rubin, USA Today, 11/1). According to two studies published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, HPV tests were more accurate than Pap tests in the detection of cervical cancer and precancerous changes in the cervix.
For one of the studies, Canadian researchers led by Eduardo Franco of McGill University performed an HPV test and a Pap test on 10,154 women ages 30 to 69. The HPV test detected 95% of cases in which participants had precancerous changes in the cervix, compared with 55% for the Pap test, the study found (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 10/19).
According to USA Today, about 60 million Pap tests are performed annually in the U.S., and "switching to screening with only an HPV test would represent a sea change in women's health care." The "most obvious roadblock" toward greater HPV testing in the U.S. is that a test manufactured by Digene is the only HPV test approved by FDA, and it is approved only to be used in conjunction with a Pap test or as a follow-up screening, USA Today reports. In addition, a clinical trial to prove that screening with the HPV test will lead to lower mortality rates "might be prohibitively costly and time-consuming," according to USA Today.
Some researchers said that other reasons Pap tests remain the top cervical cancer tool include malpractice concerns, marketing of Pap tests, and reluctance among many physicians and women to not use the Pap tests, according to USA Today. Walter Kinney, a cytologist at Kaiser Permanente in California, said that even if HPV testing were approved as a stand-alone primary screening tool, convincing physicians and patients of its efficacy would be a challenge (USA Today, 11/1).
USA Today on Thursday examined the reasons Pap tests remain the top cervical cancer screening tool despite some recent studies that found human papillomavirus tests to be "superior" tools (Rubin, USA Today, 11/1). According to two studies published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, HPV tests were more accurate than Pap tests in the detection of cervical cancer and precancerous changes in the cervix.
For one of the studies, Canadian researchers led by Eduardo Franco of McGill University performed an HPV test and a Pap test on 10,154 women ages 30 to 69. The HPV test detected 95% of cases in which participants had precancerous changes in the cervix, compared with 55% for the Pap test, the study found (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 10/19).
According to USA Today, about 60 million Pap tests are performed annually in the U.S., and "switching to screening with only an HPV test would represent a sea change in women's health care." The "most obvious roadblock" toward greater HPV testing in the U.S. is that a test manufactured by Digene is the only HPV test approved by FDA, and it is approved only to be used in conjunction with a Pap test or as a follow-up screening, USA Today reports. In addition, a clinical trial to prove that screening with the HPV test will lead to lower mortality rates "might be prohibitively costly and time-consuming," according to USA Today.
Some researchers said that other reasons Pap tests remain the top cervical cancer tool include malpractice concerns, marketing of Pap tests, and reluctance among many physicians and women to not use the Pap tests, according to USA Today. Walter Kinney, a cytologist at Kaiser Permanente in California, said that even if HPV testing were approved as a stand-alone primary screening tool, convincing physicians and patients of its efficacy would be a challenge (USA Today, 11/1).
Labels: Cervical Cancer Awareness, Cervical Cancer Screening, Cervical Cancer. HPV, Pap Smear Test
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