Study endorses HPV testing for all women over 30

When smears from thousands of Dutch women were also checked for the human papillomavirus (HPV) doctors were able to find more cancers at an early stage.


The authors of the Lancet Oncology study are now calling for the test to be included for all women.


Experts said the findings were encouraging.


The UK currently invites women aged between 25 and 65 for smear tests every three to five years.


The test is based on "cytology" - a sample of cells from the neck of the womb is examined under the microscope for subtle changes which may lead to cancer.


HPV, a sexually-transmitted virus, is now known to cause the vast majority of cervical cancers in the developed world.


Most cases of infection with the sexually transmitted virus are cleared naturally by the immune system, but persistent infection with certain HPV strains can lead to cervical cancer.


In recent years, tests for these "high-risk" strains have been developed by companies including Roche and Qiagen.


The new tests are known to work well in detecting HPV, but the Dutch study is the first to show they are better than Pap smears alone over two screening rounds set five years apart.


The researchers, who looked at women aged 29 to 56, said use of HPV tests led to earlier detection of pre-cancerous lesions, allowing for treatment that improved protection against cancer.


Hormuzd Katki and Nicolas Wentzensen from the U.S. National Cancer Institute said the results reinforced earlier findings, and provided "overwhelming evidence" of the benefits of including HPV testing in cervical screening programs.