HPV screening ‘picking up cancers Pap smears would miss’
A review of data from the renewed cervical screening program's first two years shows it's working, researchers say
Nearly one in six cervical cancers detected in the first two years of the HPV national screening program would not have been picked up by cytology, a study shows.
The finding underlines the successful switch from Pap smears to HPV DNA as a primary test, the researchers say.
It also highlights the importance of prioritising colposcopy for women whose primary test is positive for oncogenic HPV types 16 and 18 regardless of the cytology result, they add.
“For GPs, this demonstrates that not treating all HPV [types] in the same way has been a good decision,” lead author Associate Professor Megan Smith told Australian Doctor.
