Self-Collected HPV Testing for Cervical Cancer Screening

HPV infection is the cause of cancer of the cervix (see:HPV and Cancer). Here's a short quote from theNational Cancer Institute about the etiology of this neoplasm: Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV, and just two HPV types, 16 and 18, are responsible for about 70 percent of all cases. Cytopathologists have long known about this association and kept it in mind when screening cervical specimens. Here's another quote from the NCI addressing the relationship between Pap tests and HPV testing:HPV testing is used to look for the presence of high-risk HPV types in cervical cells. These tests can detect HPV infections that cause cell abnormalities, sometimes even before cell abnormalities are evident....Most [HPV] tests detect the DNA of high-risk HPV, although one test detects the RNA of high-risk HPV. Some tests detect any high-risk HPV and do not identify the specific type or types that are present. Because of this correlation between HPV and cervical cancer, some researchers have been addressing the value of self-collected HPV specimens for cancer screening (see:Self-collected HPV testing viable option for cervical cancer screening). Below is an excerpt from an article on this topic:Although cytology-based screening has helped reduce the percentage of cervical cancers, it often must be repeated to help identify underlying abnormalities that eventually could prove to ...
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