Cervical cancer: ever more effective screening
The HAS now recommends that all women over 30 get tested for HPV, as this is the most effective way of revealing any precancerous lesions. This test involves screening the DNA for the virus that causes this type of cancer to develop. It is more effective than the normal smear in its proven capacity to reduce the number of false positives.
For the patients, however, the actual procedure is practically the same. Both a sample and cytological test are still needed, yet patients don’t need to come back for another test until 5 years later, instead of 3 – currently the recommendation for cytological testing. Self-testing kits will even be made available, making the process even easier.
In young women under 30, though, the cytological analysis is still the best method. In this population of women, the test can detect a great number of infections that, in most cases, spontaneously clear up. With the evolution being so slow, too, there is little point rushing into a treatment that will most likely be unnecessary.