A New Test For HPV

NEW YORK (AP) -- A new screening test for women is being described as about twice as accurate as a Pap smear.<br/><br/>The first rigorous study of the test found that it was about twice as good at spotting

Wednesday, October 17th 2007, 9:06 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) -- A new screening test for women is being described as about twice as accurate as a Pap smear.

The first rigorous study of the test found that it was about twice as good at spotting cervical cancer.

Experts say the new test could replace the Pap in a matter of years. And, in a bonus for women, they won't need to be screened as often.

The HPV test looks for the virus that causes cervical cancer. It correctly spotted 95 percent of the cancers. The Pap test, which looks for abnormal cells under a microscope, only found 55 percent.

The research from McGill University in Montreal appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.