HPV Test Detects Cervical Cancer

NEW YORK (CBS) ―  Cervical cancer claims the lives of an estimated 4,000 Americans each year, with many of those deaths preventable with earlier detection.

But new research says the most popular screening test may not be the most effective.

HPV stands for human papilloma virus, and it’s the most common sexually transmitted infection.

Early detection of the virus is crucial, since HPV leads to cervical cancer in women.

Until now the pap smear has been the gold standard of screening, but a landmark new study says it may no longer be the best.

Jodi McKinney is back on her feet after a simple test helped her beat cervical cancer.

“When they first told me that I had cancer cells, I was devastated,“ McKinney says.

The 43-year-old got the news when her doctor ran a test for the HPV virus along with her pap smear.

The pap smear was negative, but the HPV test came up positive, allowing doctors to diagnose the cancer at an earlier stage.

“I was about to avoid having the hysterectomy, the chemo, the radiation,“ McKinney says.

The HPV virus causes nearly 90 percent of cervical cancers, and a new study says that routine HPV testing for women over 30 could save millions of lives.

“The pap smear is not as sensitive as the HPV,“ general practitioner Dr. Steven Lamm says. “So there are a lot of women who might be negative on the pap smear, and then turn out to actually have cervical cancer.“

The study of 130,000 women was done in India, and was partly funded by the maker of the HPV test.

The results are so clear that the National Cancer Institute says HPV testing should eventually replace pap smears as the best early detection method.

“This will be the new standard,“ Dr. Lamm says.

Gynecologists are now being urged to make HPV testing part of the annual exam, along with the pap test.

“If your doctor doesn’t offer it to you, please ask for it,“ McKinney says. “Insist on it.“

McKinney, a mother of five, is now cancer-free – and looking forward to watching her family grow.

It should be relatively simple for doctors to add the HPV test to the annual gynecological exam – it uses the same tissue sample taken during the regular pap test, so it does not require any additional procedures or cause any additional discomfort for the patient.