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Home Test for Cervical Cancer

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

February 14, 2006

Cervical Cancer • FDA Approves Expanded Uses for Gardasil • Study Finds HPV Infection Common in U.S. • FDA Licenses Cervical Cancer Vaccine • Someday: A Home Test for Cervical Cancer • Merck: Gardasil Blocks Cervical Cancer • Circumcision May Protect Against Cervical Cancer

Women may someday test for cervical cancer at home, without going to the doctor's office for a pelvic exam, according to a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers studied a simple new DNA test. To perform it, women take a swab at home and send it to a lab. The lab looks for DNA from the human papilloma virus, which causes 96 percent of cervical cancer.

According to a study of 1,400 South African women, the test picked up cervical cancer as often as a Pap smear, which looks for abnormal human cells. In a second study, it actually picked up cancer more often than a Pap smear.

The new test requires more research and is yet to be approved by the FDA. Still, it could someday make a big impact on cervical cancer. Pap smears have led to a decrease in cervical cancer since they hit the market.

This new test is cheaper and could be more widely available to women, so it could have an even bigger impact.

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