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.

Trovagene introduces urine-based HPV-HR DNA test for identifying high-risk HPV strains

Trovagene, Inc., today announced the commercial availability of its urine-based HPV-HR (high-risk) assay, a molecular human papillomavirus test.

27 Mar 2013

New study shows older patients get unnecessary colonoscopy screening

Colonoscopy is one of the most effective cancer screening procedures available. Colon cancer grows very slowly and can be treated if caught early through screening. But, perhaps because of this success, older Americans are undergoing screening colonoscopies despite recommendations against screening in adults aged 76 and older.

14 Mar 2013

Breast cancer tests: an interview with Dr Steven Quay, CEO of Atossa Genetics

Breast cancer is a major concern throughout the world. It is the number 1 cancer among women and in the Western world it generates approximately one new case per minute: 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

22 Feb 2013

Scientists figure out how to dodge HPV-triggered cancers by vaccination

In 2009, more than 30,000 people in the U.S. learned they had cancer linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV. This virus is best known for causing cervical cancer, but it's also the culprit behind many cancers of the mouth, throat, anus, and genitals. Unlike many forms of cancer, for which we lack the knowledge and tools to prevent, scientists have figured out how to dodge HPV-triggered cancers — by HPV vaccination.

19 Jan 2013

Study evaluates effectiveness of 3 commonly used screening methods among South African women

The best approach to detecting cervical cancer in HIV-positive women living in research limited countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa combines commonly used testing methods tailored to local levels of development and medical infrastructure, according to a study by researchers from and the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and the University of North Carolina.

16 Jan 2013

‘PapGene’ test detects endometrial and ovarian cancers

Researchers have adapted the papanicolaou smear test currently used to detect cervical cancer so that it can be used to screen women for endometrial and ovarian cancers.

14 Jan 2013

Pelvic exams frequently performed for reasons that are medically unjustified

The pelvic exam, a standard part of a woman's gynecologic checkup, frequently is performed for reasons that are medically unjustified, according to the authors of a UCSF study that may lay the groundwork for future changes to medical practice.

17 Dec 2012

Roche’s cobas 4800 HPV Test receives CE mark

Roche today announces an expanded CE mark indication for the cobas 4800 HPV Test. The newly expanded indication for the cobas® 4800 HPV Test as a primary screen means Pap cytology is no longer required as a co- or pre-test in countries that accept a CE mark.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 27 Nov 2012

Paper provides overview on preventing invasive cervical cancer

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of South Florida and The Ohio State University have published a paper in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention that provides an overview on preventing invasive cervical cancer.

28 Sep 2012

Cervical cancer screening: an interview with Alastair Atkinson, CEO of DySIS Medical Ltd

Cervical Cancer is a tragic disease. First and foremost, because it is entirely preventable if the early symptoms are detected in a timely manner

20 Aug 2012

HIV-positive women may use new methods to help reduce frequency of cervical cancer screening

Compared to the general population, HIV-positive women have a high risk of cervical cancer and thus are advised to undergo more frequent screening tests. This creates a burden for HIV-positive patients and the health care system, leading to frequent biopsies, which often do not reveal clinically relevant disease.

23 Jul 2012

RA patients do not receive fewer cancer screening tests than general population: Study

New research reveals that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients do not receive fewer cancer screening tests than the general population. Results of the study, funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), found that RA and non-RA patients receive routine screening for breast, cervical, and colon cancer at similar rates.

10 Jul 2012

Study reveals steepest decline in HPV vaccine completion among girls

The proportion of insured girls and young women completing the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among those who initiated the series has dropped significantly - as much as 63 percent - since the vaccine was approved in 2006, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston.

5 May 2012

Hologic second quarter revenues increase 7.4% to $471.2 million

Hologic, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics products, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, today announced its results for the second fiscal quarter ended March 24, 2012.

From Hologic, Inc. 30 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Why we still have faith in physicians

This patient is no fool, and she does't award trust liberally. … Yet, somehow, (Mary) Morse-Dwelley never lost faith in Pellegrini. She'd hear the click of her doctor's shoes in the hallway, see her blond hair and funky glasses, and feel confident that she was in good hands. This, too, represents a broad trend: As we have become better-informed patients, we have grown more cynical about a health care system that is ever more corporate and reliant on technology.

27 Apr 2012

Researchers discover two optimal gene targets for new colorectal cancer test

A study presented today by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago identified two genes that are optimal targets to be analyzed in a new noninvasive test for colorectal cancer developed by Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with Exact Sciences Corporation.

4 Apr 2012

Guidelines for cervical cancer screening revised

The guidelines say that women between 30 and 65 can wait five years between screenings if they get both a Pap test and an HPV test.

16 Mar 2012

New guidelines on cervical cancer screening

Many women over the last few decades have gone in for their Pap smear tests each year. Now, two influential groups of medical experts say that having cervical cancer screening once a year is not necessary and, in fact, should be discouraged. Many women can wait as long as five years between screenings, the new guidelines say.

15 Mar 2012

Bid to raise awareness of risks and symptoms of ovarian cancer: The 2012 Teal Ribbon Day

Ovarian Cancer Australia has found less than one per cent of women know they're at risk if there's a family history of ovarian cancer on their father's side. And only 42 per cent know a history on their mother's side puts them at increased risk.

22 Feb 2012

Obesity linked to higher rates of prostrate cancer screening across race/ethnicity and gender

Researchers in Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University recently found that obesity was linked to higher rates of prostate cancer screening across all races/ethnic differences and lower rates of cervical cancer screening, most notably in white women.

10 Jan 2012