HPV Test Superior to Pap Smear for Detecting Precancerous Cervical Changes

A recent article indicated that HPV testing is superior to the Pap smear for detecting precancerous lesions of the cervical epithelium (see:HPV test is better than Pap smear at detecting precancerous cervical changes). Has the Pap smear outlived its usefulness in cancer screening programs? Below is a key passage from the article:A new study found that the HPV test was better than the Pap smear in detecting precancerous changes that can lead to cervical cancer. A test for HPV detects precancerous changes of the cervix earlier and more accurately than the Pap smear....The randomized, controlled study...showed that the human papillomavirus test is more sensitive than the Pap smear, a widely used test that has been a standard part of women's preventive health care for decades but has several drawbacks. Several experts predicted the results would spur efforts to entirely replace the Pap test with the HPV test....Over the last several years, as experts learned more about HPV's role in cervical cancer, most medical groups have recommended that women in the United States get both the HPV test and the Pap smear — a practice called"co-testing." Now, armed with the new and previous studies, some experts say the Pap smear should be dropped. But others disagree, saying that the Pap smear can catch a small number of cases of abnormal cells that might be missed by the HPV test and that co-testing should continue.I think that it's premature to draw conclusions about t...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Cytopathology Healthcare Innovations Medical Research Public Health Surgical Pathology Source Type: blogs