Pap Smear News and Research

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The Pap test, also called a Pap smear, checks for changes in the cells of your cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina (birth canal). The Pap test can tell if you have an infection, abnormal (unhealthy) cervical cells, or cervical cancer.

Benefits and risks of the new HPV vaccine aren't fully known

Media coverage of the recently introduced human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine - including talk of state-mandated vaccination programs - has brought considerable attention, if not always clarity, to this issue.

2 Aug 2007

Music takes stress out of colposcopy

If a cervical smear test reveals abnormal cells the woman will be offered colposcopy, a technique that involves a doctor studying the cervix with a special microscope.

18 Jul 2007

Uninsured women not getting regular Pap smears

One-fourth of uninsured U.S. women between the ages of 18-64 reported not having had a Pap smear within the last three years when surveyed in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16 Jul 2007

Cervarix vaccine provides broad protection against cervical cancer

Just under 150 Perth women have contributed to major international research at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research that has proved that the new Cervarix vaccine provides broader protection against cervical cancer.

29 Jun 2007

Support for chromosomal theory of cancer found in cancers' development of drug resistance

Thirty-six years into the war on cancer, scientists have not only failed to come up with a cure, but most of the newer drugs suffer from the same problems as those available in the pre-war days: serious toxicity, limited effectiveness and eventual resistance.

28 Jun 2007

Trial shows CERVARIX cervical cancer candidate vaccine effective

Results from an interim analysis of a Phase III study show that CERVARIX, the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) cervical cancer candidate vaccine, provides up to 100 percent protection against advanced precancerous lesions caused by the most common types of human papillomavirus, types 16 and 18.

28 Jun 2007

TB jet traveller case...just how competent are U.S. authorities at protecting the public?

In the case of the jet flying traveler with TB a great deal of criticism has been leveled at U.S. authorities.

7 Jun 2007

International studies show high efficacy for Gardasil

A new vaccine aimed at preventing cervical cancer is nearly 100 percent effective against the two types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, strains 16 and 18.

1 Jun 2007

New treatment for warts

A clinical trial treating the papillomaviruses responsible for genital warts was on target at the halfway mark, according to Australian of the Year 2006 Professor Ian Frazer and trial manager, sexual health specialist Dr David Jardine

10 May 2007

Human papillomavirus linked to throat cancers

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have conclusive evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV) causes some throat cancers in both men and women.

10 May 2007

Cancer screening in women: BMI and adherence to physician recommendations

While severe obesity can be accompanied by other health problems including cancer, severely obese women are likely to skip clinical breast exams, mammograms and Pap smears, according to a recent analysis.

9 May 2007

Study looks at reproductive health of girls who developed HIV at birth

A generation of children born with HIV are now coming of age and reaching sexual maturity. Girls in this group who are sexually active are experiencing a higher number than expected of cervical abnormalities, a new study finds.

27 Apr 2007

Study improves understanding of early ovarian cancer

A new University of Michigan Medical School study sheds light on cell defects that lead to one common type of ovarian cancer and puts forth a promising new mouse model that already is being used for preclinical drug testing.

12 Apr 2007

New mouse model for ovarian cancer

12 Apr 2007

Giving stop smoking advice with smear tests could save extra lives

Giving women who smoke advice on quitting when they go for cervical smear tests could be an effective way of saving even more lives - according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer. If introduced, the measure could benefit hundreds of thousands of women every year.

11 Apr 2007

People with physical disabilities endure substandard health care

Rachel steered her wheelchair into a Chicago area medical center for a series of upper gastrointestinal tests.

4 Apr 2007

Information technology boosts mammography screening rates

Findings of a new Mayo Clinic study published in Archives of Internal Medicine show that a computerized mail and phone reminder program can significantly increase the percentage of patients receiving preventive health services and improve the value of health care.

2 Apr 2007

New screening method for cervical cancer holds promise

A method of screening women in Ghana for early signs of cervical cancer and providing preventive treatment at the same visit appears to be safe, acceptable to women and feasible, according to a study by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

2 Apr 2007

Lack of preventive care, not HPV vaccine, 'real' reason 'too many women still die of cervical cancer'

The "real" reason that "[t]oo many women still die of cervical cancer" is the "lack of access to preventive medical care for low-income women and not the lack of a vaccine," Wall Street Journal columnist and Illinois-based physician Benjamin Brewer writes in an opinion piece.

11 Mar 2007