A DNA test for the human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading risk factor for cervical cancer, is better than the Pap smear and other screening methods at preventing cervical cancer according to a new study.

The multi-year study of 131,746 women in India, published in last week's New England Journal of Medicine, showed that a single round of HPV DNA testing was more effective than other screening methods at preventing cervical cancer and related deaths. 

Health experts believe that the widespread introduction of the DNA test for HPV could result in the elimination or reduction of use of the Pap smear, the gold standard for cervical cancer detection in the United States. With the Pap smear, cells from the cervix are collected by a clinician and sent to a laboratory where they are examined for cellular abnormalities. In contrast, the DNA screening test also uses cervical cells but results are read by a machine and not as prone to subjective assessment.

HPV is the most common STD in the United States with more than half of all sexually active women and men becoming infected at some point in their lives. Although most women with cervical cancer are infected with HPV, not all women with HPV will develop cervical cancer as only certain types of HPV cause abnormal cells to develop.

A spokesman for the National Cancer Institute has urged medical professionals to adopt HPV DNA testing. Hurdles to adoption of the DNA test include hesitation by gynecologists and other primary care doctors to do away with Pap smears, which have been credited with dramatically reducing the rate of cervical cancer deaths in the United States.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists currently does not recommend the HPV DNA test for women younger than 30.  For women over 30, the organization suggests that women get an HPV DNA test at the same time as a Pap smear.

Read more about HPV and cervical cancer screening or submit a question to our medical students or health professionals.


_{Photo: euthman, Flickr, Creative Commons}