Many women receiving a positive HPV screening test result are worried that it means they have cervical cancer, researchers have found. 

A survey of 1000 Australian women — the first in the world to look at the psychosocial impact of primary HPV screening — has found surprisingly high levels of anxiety and distress arising from positive results.

“A high proportion, 29%, of women who reported testing HPV positive, incorrectly interpreted their cervical screening test results to mean that they have or are likely to have cervical cancer,” say the researchers, who have called for standardised patient information to be distributed with results.

The 65 HPV-positive women (nearly 7% of the survey participants) reported higher general distress and concern about their future health compared with the 81% of women whose HPV test was negative.