HPV test more effective in preventing uterus cancer

HPV test may be twice as efficient as PAPA test in preventing cervical cancer.
These are the results of research conducted at the hospital in Hammersmith and published in the journal International Journal of Cancer.
Nearly 3000 women were asked to do the PAPA test and also HPV test. It was discovered that women who were only doing the PAPA test had more chance to develop abnormalities of the cervix during the next five years than those who have had negative results on HPV testing. This means that the HPV test is a better indicator of future problems.
- This research confirms that when taking the smear HPV test detects more diseases and offers women excellent protection from the uterus abnormalities for at least six years if the test was negative, while normal PAPA test is not reliable after three years - comments on the study leader, Professor Jack Cuzik

HPV (Human papiloma virus) blog: Women beware: HPV is threatening!

Laboratory in which an HPV test is done Infection with HPV is the main factor of malignant transformation of the cervix, which is the world's second carcinoma that women can get. The presence of different types of HPV from a group of high risk in 99.7 percent of cancer of the cervix, was proved, so these viruses are considered to be the primary risk factor in these diseases. In Europe, cervical cancer is in the eighth place by the frequency of malignant forms in women. From infection to cancer - Today is considered to be- says mr. Vanja Kaliterna, MD. Specialist in medical microbiology and parasitology – that there is almost no cancer of the cervix without HPV. Women who are younger than 30 years are more often exposed to the infection of HPV, but immunologically they overcome the infection easier and rarely develop cancer. In women over thirties findings of HPV are not that often, but they often have a lasting infection that ultimately results in cancer. Only long-term infection of permanent high-risk types of HPV leads to the development of cancer cervix - Dr. Kaliterna considered. How the presence of HPV infection is diagnosed?

- Infection with HPV may be without symptoms or may lead to the development of benign forms or malignant change of the skin and mucosa (cancer). And if there are no visible signs of infection, routine inspections of cervix cells and birth canal are made, but definitive proof of the presence of HPV is visible only by methods of molecular diagnostics - explains dr Kaliterna us. According to previous knowledge only PAPA test, which reveal cytological changes in the cervix, is not sufficiently sensitive and can not single out women who have easy cytological changes with increased risk of the formation of cancer.

This is papiloma virus - Combined PAPA test and HPV test increases the sensitivity for detection of malignant change of the cervix. If both tests are negative, it means that women have no changes in cells, or HPV, which could cause these changes. Using both tests, checking up interval can be extended to three to five years, which would ultimately reduce health care costs - says Dr. Kaliterna.