Dr Oz: HPV vs Pap Test Cancer Screening
If you are a woman in your 30s or 40s and you believe you no longer need to go to your OB/GYN for annual exams, Dr. Oz says you need to pay close attention to the breaking news he is about to share. There is a new test that could be more reliable than a pap smear to prevent one of the most common and deadly cancers among women.
Dr Oz: Is a Pap Smear Always Accurate?
Dr Oz discusses breaking news about the HPV test, which could replace a Pap Smear to detect cancer.
There is a new gynecological test that could replace the pap smear to detect Cervical Cancer in women and it has caused a lot of hope and excitement among the medical community. Dr. Stephanie Blank explains the new HPV test is more sensitive at picking up pre-cancer cells in the cervix, which is important for preventing Cervical Cancer altogether.
While a Pap Test would still play a role in screening for Cervical Cancer, it would no longer be the primary method used to the diagnose the disease. Dr. Lauren Streicher says pap tests actually do a really good job at finding pre-cancer and cancer, but the problem is that many women simply are not getting pap tests or they are having to go through further testing when the results come back as questionable. Dr. Streicher says the new HPV test will find the pre-cancer cells and prevent a need for Colposcopies and Biopsies, which happens too often with pap smears.
Dr Oz: Who Should Get an HPV Test?
Dr. Streicher says women in their 30s and 40s need to be especially concerned about HPV and cancer because as you get older your risk for the infection increases. The problem is that these women are not going to the gynecologist for an annual exam, but they could have a virus that has been dormant in their body and is now deciding to cause problems without them even realizing it. This is reason that Dr. Streicher says it is extremely important for women to go in for screenings regardless of their age.
Dr Oz: Pap Smear Screening Guidelines
In recent years pap test and HPV screening recommendations have changed a bit and have even gotten a bit confusing, so Dr. Streicher would like to see consistency with one test that will give good information and prevent women from going through additional testing that they do not need.
- Age 21-30: Pap Test every 3 years
- Age 30-65: HPV & Pap Test every 5 years or just a Pap Smear every 3 years.
Dr. Oz believes updating and improving screening tests is a good thing because not only will it prevent false-positives, but it will also save lives.
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