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HPV testing for cervical screening saves women from more invasive tests

Testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) as part of cervical screening reduces the number of women unnecessarily going on for further tests by over a third, new research shows today.

28 Sep 2011

Repeat HPV testing would reduce unnecessary treatment for women

Doing the human papillomavirus (HPV) test twice with a short interval between tests would reduce the number of women having unnecessary treatment, new research shows.

24 Aug 2011

HPV vaccine shows success in young Australian women, study says

"A vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, triggered by the human papillomavirus (HPV), has helped reduce the number of teenage girls developing abnormalities in their cervix by as much as 50 percent in a study in Australia," according to a report published Friday in the Lancet, Reuters reports.

18 Jun 2011

Study explores age differences in barriers to cervical cancer screening attendance

Older women are too embarrassed to go for smear tests, and fear pain, while younger women are too busy, according to a Cancer Research UK study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology today.

14 Jun 2011

New blog aims to help dispel many myths behind cervical smear test

In the UK, 20 per cent of women still do not attend smear tests, putting themselves at risk of leaving pre-cancerous cervical cells undetected. A new blog, entitled, 'my diary from down under', aims to help dispel many of the myths surrounding having a smear with the aim of putting women at ease and encouraging more women to attend their cervical screens when invited.

6 Jun 2011

Self-sample HPV test can help increase cervical screening uptake among women

Home tests for the human papillomavirus could help increase the take-up of cervical screening among women who do not respond to screening invitations, new research shows today.

16 Mar 2011

Women taking HPV vaccine need only two HPV screening tests for rest of their lives: Research

Women who have had the human papillomavirus vaccine could need only two HPV screening tests for the rest of their lives according to new calculations being presented at the NCRI Cancer Conference in Liverpool.

10 Nov 2010

Fewer young women going for regular pap smears

According to new research findings, the number of young women going for a regular Pap smear test is dwindling. This test is a simple procedure that looks at the cervical cells and can detect cervical cancer early on. In 2001-02, 67% Australian women aged 20-69 went for a Pap smear, a number that went down to 60% in 2008-09. These are the lowest rates in the decade.

24 Aug 2010

HPV test recommended for national cervical cancer screening programmes

Two studies suggest that testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) - the major cause of cervical cancer - could be used in national cervical cancer screening programmes.

4 May 2010

HPV test could help predict risk of cervical cancer, but more research needed

Testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) - the major cause of cervical cancer - may not help to identify women who are at risk of the disease, a new UK study suggests.

24 Mar 2010

HPV testing could be used as standard method of cervical screening for women, say Italian scientists

Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing could be used as the standard method of cervical screening for women aged 35 years or older, as it seems to prevent more invasive cases of the disease than cytology screening alone, Italian scientists have said.

20 Jan 2010

HPV screening and vaccination programmes could eradicate cervical cancer

Cervical cancer could be eradicated within the next 50 years if countries implement national screening programmes based on detection of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes the disease, together with vaccination programmes against the virus, according to a cervical cancer screening expert.

24 Sep 2009

Should cervical screening stop at age 50?

It is not consistent to stop screening women after age 50 because the risk of cervical cancer - even after several negative smear results - is similar to that at younger ages, concludes a study published on bmj.com.

23 Apr 2009

Refined Pap smear test more accurate

Italian researchers have found that a new method of testing for cervical cancer is more accurate than a pap smear and also picks up more dangerous lesions.

10 Sep 2008

Link between HPV and cervical cancer

Scientists in the United States have carried out a review of research to determine the link between persistent HPV (human papillomavirus) infection and cervical cancer.

25 May 2008

Alarming confusion about cancer screening

Less than one in five people can name the three cancers screened for by the NHS screening programme - new figures reveal today.

28 Feb 2008

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

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

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

Study reveals treatment and screening inequalities for patients with mental health problems

Patients with mental health problems may not be receiving the appropriate screening or treatments for illnesses including heart disease and stroke, a report from The University of Nottingham has shown.

7 Dec 2005