HPV Overshadows Pap in Cervical Cancer Screening

Using the conventional Pap smear in combination with a recently approved HPV screening for detecting the human papillomavirus (HPV)- a virus that causes most cervical cancers, significantly improved the chances of early detection, two new studies unveiled.

To determine whether DNA testing for human papillomaviruses (HPV) is superior to the traditional Pap test for cervical-cancer screening, the researchers conducted a randomized trial comparing the two methods.

In the first study, over 10,000 women aged between 30 to 69 years in Montreal and St. John's, Canada were randomly assigned to testing for cervical-cancer screening either by Pap test alone or a combination of an HPV test plus a Pap
Test.

As compared with Pap testing, HPV testing has greater sensitivity for the detection of abnormal growths that can lead to cervical cancer. While the HPV test detected 94.6 percent of cancerous lesions, the Pap test found only 55.4 percent of these growths.

The false-positive rate for HPV was only 2.7 percent higher than the rate for Pap smears, the researchers noted.

The second screening program held in Sweden enrolled 12,527 women in their mid 30’s. They were randomized to receive either a conventional Pap test alone or a combination of HPV test and a Pap test.

The researchers discovered that the combination tests were able to detect 51 percent more cases of cervical cancer at the commencement of the study. However, at the end of the study – four years later- the Pap test also detected roughly the same number of cases.

Not complete in itself, the HPV test reported twice the rate of false positive results (6 percent compared with 3 percent for the Pap test). Moreover, it is not as effective for screening cancers in younger women.

Both studies reported in the 18 October issue of the New England Journal of Medicine provide fresh evidence of the benefits of the HPVscreening.

"Adding HPV testing to Pap testing in routine cervical screening gives a longer protection against the severe precursor lesions of cervical cancer compared to just Pap testing," noted study co-author Dr. Joakim Dillner, a professor at Lund University and Malmo University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden.

About HPV

The human papilloma virus is the most common sexually transmitted virus. Carriers of this fatal virus generally pass it on to their female partners unknowingly through unprotected sexual activity. In females, HPV infection is a known cause of cervical and uterine cancer.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is responsible for more than 90 percent of the cases of cervical cancer. Of the 19 known strains, 7 most common types of HPV - 16, 18, 31, 33, 42, 52 and 58. Of these types 16 and 18 being the most common cause of the cervical cancer.