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.

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

Vinegar may easily detect cervical cancer

Vinegar may be more useful than realised. Its could offer the ability to find precancerous lesions in the cervix and potentially save thousands of women’s lives say researchers.

8 Jan 2012

HPV test outshines Pap smears for detection of early cervical cancers

A new trial involving nearly 40,000 women in the Netherlands showed that testing for the human papillomavirus, or HPV allowed doctors to detect abnormal cervical cells earlier and prevent more cases of cervical cancer than administering pap smears alone.

18 Dec 2011

Viewpoints: Entrenchment on Capitol Hill; Medicaid's woes; Presidential mistake on Berwick

Last week's failure of the budget super committee, despite its super powers, is only the latest breakdown in an attempt at compromise in Washington. Politicians keep trying to fashion failsafe solutions to the capital's uncompromising mind-set, without understanding that there is no external escape from an environment that rewards those who stand tenaciously on their principles and demonize their opponents. Members of Congress need to change their minds about compromise, or voters will need to change the members of Congress.

1 Dec 2011

Polarized filter may improve ability to detect precancerous changes, reduce unnecessary biopsies

The same filtered light that enables sunglasses to reduce glare may improve a physician's ability to detect early signs of cervical cancer, reducing unnecessary biopsies and surgery.

30 Nov 2011

Ovarian cancer patients with many folate receptors benefit from new therapy

A new strategy that takes advantage of ovarian cancer's reliance on folate appears to give relapse patients extra months of life with few side effects, researchers say.

29 Oct 2011

Patients with HIV are not being screened enough for cancers: Study

According to a latest study finding presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America 49th Annual Meeting, patients with HIV were less likely to have routine screening for breast, cervical and colon cancer compared with patients without HIV.

26 Oct 2011

Pap test the best for cervical cancer screening

The Pap test - a lab exam of cells scraped from the cervix, the gateway to the uterus - is an effective way to screen young and middle-aged women - and it's only needed once every three years, say scientists advising the government.

20 Oct 2011

Experts recommending fewer cancer screenings

New cervical cancer screening guidelines are the latest example of this emerging cautious view.

20 Oct 2011

First Edition: October 19, 2011

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Capsules, Marilyn Werber Serafini reports: "Medicare might fare better than other health care programs if the congressional super committee fails to agree on a deficit-reduction package and automatic cuts kick in, but even 2 percent is a big problem when it comes on top of other recent hits, warn Rick Pollack, executive vice president of the American Hospital Association, and Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans."

19 Oct 2011

VHI releases report on HMO quality and satisfaction

Open enrollment is fast approaching for thousands of HMO members in Virginia. Every year during this period, members have the option of selecting a health plan by comparing plan benefits and monthly premiums for the upcoming year.

29 Sep 2011

Vinegar may easily detect cervical cancer

Vinegar may be more useful than you realise. It has the ability to find precancerous lesions in the cervix and potentially save thousands of women’s lives say researchers.

28 Sep 2011