Smear Test News and Research

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Real-time cervical cancer diagnostics: an interview with Sameer Kothari, Chief Executive of Zilico

Cervical cancer diagnosis is a two-step process. In developed countries, women are invited for a smear test which mainly uses LBC (liquid-based cytology), where a sample of cells are taken from the cervix and sent to a cytopathology lab for analysis.

From Zilico 19 Mar 2014

HPV vaccine offers protection against cervical abnormalities in young women

The HPV vaccine offers significant protection against cervical abnormalities in young women, suggests a paper published on bmj.com today.

5 Mar 2014

Women need to participate in regular screenings to reduce cancer risk, improve survival

Cancer Council says an improvement in the uptake of breast and cervical screening is crucial, following the release of new figures by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare yesterday.

28 Feb 2014

Self-testing for HPV effective in detecting cervical cancer

Self-testing for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) - the virus that causes cervical cancer - is as effective at detecting cancer as a conventional smear test (cytology screening) even when scaled up to test large populations.

22 Jan 2014

Simple HPV home tests could identify women at risk for cervical cancer

HPV self-testing is as effective as tests done by doctors, according to a Lund University study. Simple HPV home tests could therefore complement existing screening programmes, and identify more women at risk for cervical cancer.

18 Dec 2013

Scientists find high prevalence of HPV infection in oral, anal and penile cavities in HIV-positive men

Scientists in Barcelona have found a high presence of papillomavirus infection in oral, anal and penile cavities in HIV-positive men, particularly in the anal cavities of men who have homosexual sex. The researchers recommend routine examination of the three areas in all men, independently of their sexual behaviour.

27 Jun 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

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

HPV and smear tests offer more effective approach for cervical screening

Testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) - a virus most women will encounter at some point in their lives - followed by a smear test if they are HPV positive, provides the most effective approach for cervical screening, new research shows today.

1 Mar 2012

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

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