Word: paps
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...more than 50 years, a regular Pap test has been a woman's best defense against cervical cancer. By taking tissue samples from the cervix--the "neck," or outer opening, of the uterus--a doctor can usually tell that something is wrong before the cancer has a chance to fully develop or spread. Now researchers are eyeing a new gene-based test that they believe is better than the Pap test at identifying precancerous and malignant changes in the cervix--and could even replace it. But don't cancel your next gynecologic exam just yet. A lot more work needs...
...researchers at the Digene Corp. of Beltsville, Md., have developed a test that detects an active HPV infection by looking for its genetic by-products in the vagina. The HPV test was better than the standard Pap test at finding cervical cancer at any stage, according to two studies published in last week's Journal of the American Medical Association. So far, so good. Unfortunately, the test's false-positive rate--how often it indicated that there was a problem when none existed--was almost twice as high as that for the Pap smear. In these cases, a biopsy...
...problem, however, is that Pap tests are not always accurate. The results can be skewed due to human error in spreading the samples on slides and in reading the results. Since each of the hundreds of thousands of cells needs to be examined, abnormal cells are often missed. It is estimated that 20 to 40 percent of lesions are missed...
...recent study has shown that testing for HPV directly is more effective in predicting cancer than a Pap smear alone, but tests are not yet widely available...
...emphasis is that it's just like alcohol in that there is a delayed effect. Contact with HPV can be a precursor to cervical cancer," Rosenthal says. "Women need to have routine Pap smears...