Private MD News

Study: HPV test may cut cancer death rate

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

If 80 percent of women aged 30 to 59 around the world had a human papillomavirus (HPV) test followed by "a simplified" treatment for cancer administered the same day, it may cut the amount of cervical cancer deaths by almost half within a decade, according to a new study.

Approximately 132,000 women were examined in four groups during the eight-year study. Three groups were offered the cancer treatment immediately after receiving the results of their respective lab tests. One received a PAP smear, one had a swab with acetic vinegar and a third had an HPV test. The final group was educated about HPV and urged to get a lab test.

Only the HPV test group showed any significant reduction in cancer deaths when compared to the other groups, according to the researchers.

"The implications of the findings of this trial are immediate and global: international experts in cervical cancer prevention should now adapt HPV screening for widespread implementation," wrote Mark Schiffman and Sholom Wacholder of the National Cancer Institute.

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease and while not everyone may have access to cancer treatment, people interested in their STD status can opt to get an STD test.