Choosing a Screening Method for Cervical Cancer: Pap Alone or with HPV Test
Karen Smith-McCune, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, writes: “The updated guidelines leave physicians and other clinicians with a question: is cotesting with Pap-plus-HPV testing truly preferred over Pap testing alone (the American Cancer Society/the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology/the American Society of Clinical Pathology recommendation), or are the options equivalent (the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation)?”
“Once a straightforward process, screening for cervical cancer is now increasingly complex. Absent better data about the advantages and disadvantages of Pap testing and cotesting in various settings, clinicians should help their patients make individual decisions about cervical cancer screening that incorporate their values and preferences. The designation of cotesting as the preferred approach in one set of screening guidelines may be premature,” Smith-McCune concludes.
Reference:
Karen Smith-McCune MD, PhD. Choosing a Screening Method for Cervical Cancer: Papanicolaou Testing Alone or With Human Papillomavirus Testing. JAMA Intern Med. 2014; 174(7):-. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1368
Editor’s Note:
Dr. Smith-McCune made conflict of interest disclosures, including that she is the founding chair of the Clinical and Scientific Advisory Board and holds stock options in OncoHealth Inc., which is developing diagnostic tests for cervical cancer and other cancers associated with HPV. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
Media Advisory:
To contact author Karen Smith-McCune, M.D., Ph.D., call Elizabeth Fernandez at 415-514-1592 or email Elizabeth.Fernandez@ucsf.edu .
