HPV Test May Replace Annual Pap

Silver Spring, MD—Expert advisors to the FDA have recommended that a new screening test for the human papillomavirus (HPV) could replace the annual Pap smear for many women. They advise that the FDA should allow the test to be marketed as a first-line screening tool for cervical cancer, which causes more than 3,000 deaths annually. Only women with evidence of active HPV infection would then be given a Pap test, which is examined for evidence of cancerous or precancerous cells. HPV is very common and causes not only cervical cancer but cancer of the mouth, throat, penis, and other areas. “If approved, the cobas HPV Test would become the first and only HPV test indicated as the first-line primary screen of cervical cancer in the U.S.,” a representative from Roche, the test’s manufacturer, stated.

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