A novel DNA tests, which search for bug accountable for majority of cases in cervical cancer seems sensible for all women aged thirty and above. Dutch researchers believe they could prevent more cases of cancer using these tests in comparison to smear test alone.
A team led by Chris Meijer from the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, carried out a five-year study involving forty-five thousand women aged between thirty and fifty-six. The study provided the strongest evidence in favor of using HPV (human papillomavirus) testing in women aged thirty and above.
The majority of cases of infection occurred due to sexually transmitted virus are cleared naturally by the immune system, but continuous infection caused by certain strains of HPV may escort to cervical cancer. The new DNA tests are known to work well in identifying HPV infection.
This is the first study to show that DNA testing is better than Pap smears, unaccompanied over two screening rounds set five years apart. These test led to earlier detection of pre-cancerous lesions, make allowance for treatment that improved protection against cancer. The study was published in The Lancet Oncology.
The lead researchers Nicolas Wentzensen and Hormuzd Katki from the US National Cancer Institute stated that the study findings underlined the previous findings and given the overwhelming evidence of benefits of including HPV testing in cervical screening programs. Recently tests for these high risk strains have been developed by companies including Qiagen and Roche.