Pap Smear Guidelines Avoid More Testing
3 Million Women End Up With Abnormal Results
Posted: 9:17 a.m. EDT April 24, 2002
New guidelines may help clear the confusion over abnormal pap smears.
Every year, 50 to 60 million woman have pap tests to screen for cervical cancer -- of these more than three million end up with abnormal or inconclusive results.
Doctors have not always agreed how to care for these women. Many undergo several more tests to determine if they have cancer.
New consensus guidelines released suggest a limit of only two more paps after the first abnormal test. During one of the follow-up paps, they can test for HPV, a virus that's been linked to cervical cancer.
If the results are still questionable, it's recommended a patient have a biopsy called a colposcopy.
Doctors can also opt for a biopsy immediately after the first abnormal test results.
The guidelines are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and are sponsored by the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and come from studies from the National Cancer Institute.
Every year, 50 to 60 million woman have pap tests to screen for cervical cancer -- of these more than three million end up with abnormal or inconclusive results.
Doctors have not always agreed how to care for these women. Many undergo several more tests to determine if they have cancer.
New consensus guidelines released suggest a limit of only two more paps after the first abnormal test. During one of the follow-up paps, they can test for HPV, a virus that's been linked to cervical cancer.
If the results are still questionable, it's recommended a patient have a biopsy called a colposcopy.
Doctors can also opt for a biopsy immediately after the first abnormal test results.
The guidelines are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and are sponsored by the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and come from studies from the National Cancer Institute.
Copyright 2002 by wtov9.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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