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HPV test beats Pap in detecting cervical cancer
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by ScienceDave | October 17, 2007 at 11:42 pm
831 views | 15 Recommendations | 6 comments
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Much controversy has surround HPV during the last year - especially with Merck pushing its vaccine onto young teenage girls. NowPublic's very own babblingdweeb provides an excellent review of the virus and its effects here, while Karen Hatter provides her take on the vaccine here.
Meanwhile, McGill researchers have determined that HPV screening provides a much better way to screen for pre-cancerous lesions (94.6% detection) compared to the routine PAP screens (55.4% detection).
However, the PAP test did produce fewer false positives than the HPV screen.
According to the study's lead, Dr. Eduardo Franco, although false positives "...may be very disturbing and psychologically distressing for the patient,
but in the end, she's free of disease. False negatives are very serious
business, however. The patient will be assured that she's negative, all
the while a pre-cancer has a chance to become a cancer or her existing
cancer has a chance to grow." " [source]
Dr. Franco added that, while the HPV screening test is now more
expensive than a Pap test, that will likely change over time.
"Moreover, because of its higher sensitivity and only slightly lower
specificity, patients would only require an HPV test once every three
years instead of annually, as is necessary with the Pap test."
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babblingdweeb
Birmingham, Michigan, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 14:33 on October 18th, 2007
ScienceDave, thanks for this.
Full disclosure: I'm fervently anti-Gardasil/HPV Vaccine; I am also fervently anti-big pharma (with few exceptions).
I would like to know where McGill got their money to conduct this research, as I believe that might provide a big key to their focus here. I'll take a look and see what I can figure out.
at 14:35 on October 18th, 2007
Pardon me; I was linking this story heavily to the vaccine when it's more about screening. However, I feel that HPV screening would lead to vaccination in many cases, so I stand by my focus. Just clarifying.
at 06:35 on October 19th, 2007
Good stuff. Vaccines aside, the HPV test really is amazing. I know many people who are fortunate to have been tested when they were. Hopefully with further research they can dial in the test for fewer false positives.
at 01:49 on October 31st, 2007
Great information. I think it is useful to the people on http://www.stdpal.com. There are thousands of hiv people here are talking about the prevention of HPV
at 06:34 on November 6th, 2007
That's a great site, thanks for the tip and thanks for adding it to the discussion. I think a lot of people could benifit from a site [information] like that.
at 08:02 on July 30th, 2008
As a Cervical Cancer Survivor, I am disturbed by the unwillingness to use the HPV vaccination. I am also a nurse. True, the vaccine is only effective with 2 types of HPV that cause cervical cancer, I believe, it can't hurt to go ahead and be vaccinated. I am also the mother of 3 daughters, one is vaccinated, and the other 2 will be when the time comes. The treatment for cervical cancer, (or all cancers!) is quite painful and barbaric at times. Words cannot describe what I went through. I only hope that by speaking up, I can prevent another woman of going through what I did. Thanks.