Pap Test Study Results

Study confirms three-year cervical cancer screening guidelines.
The Wall Street Journal (5/19, Gryta, Subscription Publication) reports that a study, to be detailed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting next month, established that undergoing cervical cancer screening every three years is safe for most women. The study also showed that that for women at risk for cervical cancer, testing for HPV in combination with a Pap smear is not necessary. The Journal quotes lead study author Hormuzd Katki, PhD, from the National Cancer Institute as saying, "We concluded that a single negative HPV test provided five years of extremely low cancer risk for women, and this risk was not appreciably lowered by also having a normal pap test."
The AP (5/19, Marchione) notes that the study team concluded that screening women "with no symptoms for ovarian cancer with a blood test and an ultrasound exam" does not prevent deaths and leads to "thousands of false alarms, unneeded surgeries and serious complications." The study could be considered a "warning to people who get screening tests that aren't recommended, or who question whether screening can ever hurt. 'The answer is, it could hurt a lot,'" said Dr. Allen Lichter, the CEO of ASCO, which published over 4,000 "studies Wednesday, ahead of its annual meeting next month."
The CNN (5/18, Smith) "The Chart" blog reported that the researchers followed "331,818 women who had Pap tests, HPV tests, or both." After comparing the two tests, the determined that a "positive HPV test was more predictive of cervical cancer than a positive Pap. Same goes for a negative test." Dr. Katki said Pap testing "should only be reserved for HPV-positive women."
MedPage Today (5/18, Smith) noted that the current guidelines from the "American Cancer Society say women over 30 who have had three normal Pap test results in a row can get screened every two to three" years. The new study "provides 'very solid data to make us comfortable' with recommendations for a three-year gap between tests, according to ASCO President George Sledge Jr., MD, of Indiana University in Indianapolis." The study was also covered by HealthDay (5/18, Gardner), and WebMD (5/18, Mann).