Cervical cancer prevention efforts: Pap test and HPV vaccine

Washington, DC

In the United States, cervical cancer remains a disease of socioeconomic disparity, with Hispanic and African-American women more likely to be diagnosed with the disease and more likely to die of it than white women.

An HPV vaccine was approved by the FDA in 2006 for girls and women aged nine to 26 and studies show it is 100 percent effective at preventing disease from the HPV types that account for 70 percent of all cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts. A second HPV vaccine, shown to be as effective against cervical cancer-causing HPV, is currently under review by the FDA.
Even with the HPV vaccine, screening will still be critical to protect women against cervical cancer caused by HPV types not covered by the vaccine, for women already exposed to HPV types targeted by the vaccine, and for women who
do not receive the vaccine. Research shows that the Pap test is 51 to 85 percent accurate, depending upon the type of Pap test used. An FDA-approved HPV test is available and research shows that adding HPV testing to a Pap test in women aged 30 and older can increase a clinician's ability to identify women needing early intervention and a major study recently found that the HPV test as a stand-alone screen was almost 40 percent more accurate than the Pap test and recommended that HPV testing be used as a primary, frontline screen.

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