DNA test and pap test

Ebony, Jan, 2005

Q I'm a 33-year-old woman with two children, and there have been two women in my family who had cervical cancer. I'm so afraid because I think I could be next. Can you give me information about the new DNA test for cervical cancer, and does it supplement the Pap test?

J.M., Charleston, S.C.

New cases of cervical cancer, doctors say, are diagnosed in more than 11,000 American women each year and causes about 4,000 deaths. Although those numbers represent a decline, the number could be reduced even more as a result of using the new DNA test to confirm abnormalities.

Cervical cancer is almost always caused by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).The new DNA test, like the Pap test, detects the presence of HPV. Medical experts say when done together with or following the Pap test, a DNA HPV test, if negative, practically rules out the possibility of cancer.

Cervical cancer usually occurs in women who are 30 and older. With routine screening, doctors say cancer of the cervix almost always can be prevented. It's recommended that all women should begin annual Pap testing three years after the onset of sexual activity or at age 21, whichever comes first.