HPV DNA Test Best Option for Dectecting Cervical Cancer

HPV DNA Test

A new study finds that detecting cancer in women over 30 is best done with a DNA test for the human papilloma virus (HPV).

A new report suggests that detecting HPV through a DNA screening is more sensitive than the standard Pap tests.  Detecting precancerous high-grade lesions on the cervix this way is found to be the best option.  The authors of the study state that high-risk HPV was present in nearly all cervical cancers.  The study involved women that were randomly given either a HPV DNA test and cytology or the cytology alone.  A second screening 5 years later was conducted and HPV and cytology tests were conducted at that point.



The report was published recently in the online edition of the Lancet.