If you are a woman under 40 you are better off having a Pap Smear, if you are over 40 you are better off having a human papillomavirus (HPV) test, say researchers from the Danish Cancer Society. The majority of cervical cancers are caused by HPV infections.
You can read about this study in the journal Cancer Research.
The study of 8,656 women (aged 22-32) and 1,578 women (aged 40-50), found that HPV is less common, but more persistent in older women. HPV infection among younger women is significantly less directly linked to cervical cancer risk. Older women with HPV infection are at a much higher risk of cervical cancer before the cervical cells change. A Pap Smear identifies changes in the cervical cells.
In other words, it is better to test younger women for changes in cervical cells (Pap Smear) and older women for HPV infection (HPV test).
The researchers found that the majority of women who did have HPV infection tested negative on a Pap Smear.
Team leader, Dr. Susanne Kruger Kjaer, said “Based on these results, we feel that an HPV test would benefit older women, whether or not that test is used in conjunction with Pap smears, or used by itself as an initial screen.”
“The Absolute Risk of Cervical Abnormalities in High-risk Human Papillomavirus-Positive, Cytologically Normal Women Over a 10-Year Period”
Susanne Kjaer, Estrid H�gdall, Kirsten Frederiksen, Christian Munk, Adriaan van den Brule, Edith Svare, Chris Meijer, Attilla Lorincz and Thomas Iftner
Cancer Research 2006 66: 10621-10629
Click here to see abstract online
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today