Study urges gap of three years to test cancer of the cervix

WASHINGTON - women in good health more than 30 years that negative test for human papillomavirus (HPV) may be able to safely extend the period between gynecological examinations of each year to three yearssaid a study Wednesday.

"Our results are a formal confirmation that three years follow-up is appropriate and safe for women who have a negative against HPV and the result of the normal test," said the lead author of the study Hormuzd Katki.

The 331,818 women follow-up study which is part of a northern California program test by Kaiser Permanente between 2003 and 2005 and followed them for five years.

Among women who had a normal smears and negative for HPV can cause cervical cancer, the risk of cancer for five years was "very low: 2.3 per 100,000 women per year," he said.

During a PAP test, that all women should obtain each year, a doctor collects a sample of tissue from the cervix of women and sends it to a laboratory for examination and to verify the abnormal cells.

A separate test for HPV is also performed during the annual Gynecologic appointment of women. Often, it uses the same sample of cell but specifically looks for signs of the virus.

HPV is sexually transmitted and most of the time the body can remove on its own.

However, in some cases, the remains of the infection and may eventually lead to cervical cancer.

More than 30 years women who test positive for HPV are usually re-tested in six months to see if the infection is cleared.

Researchers said that when comparing the two criteria, the HPV test only "identified more women at high risk of cervical cancer than the Pap. test".

"These results also suggest that a single HPV negative test result may be sufficient to give a high level of security to extend the interval test every three years," said Katki.

A study more it should be to determine whether these recommendations should extend to the whole of the population, the researchers noted.

"But we need systematic clinical practice elements of additional evidence and official recommendations before regulatory signs which can be systematically recommended."

The PAP test, invented in 1943, has reduced the number of cases of cervical cancer, but has not eliminated - some 11 000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year.

Merck, Qiagen to help cancer of the cervix to tackle Rwanda (AFP)

the pharmaceutical giant Merck announced Monday by U.S. partnership with Qiagen and the Government of Rwanda was in a new program of vaccination of girls and women of the screen for cervical cancer.

Merck said that it is a gift of two million doses of Gardasil vaccine to be administered to girls aged 12 to 15 while Qiagen would provide 250,000 free HPV testing for women 35 to 45 years of testing.

The objectives of the program supported by the Government of Rwanda to fight against the cancer of the cervix, which is the most common cancer among women in the African nation and is usually caused by two types of sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV).

"It is our goal to create a comprehensive coordinated programme which includes vaccination against HPV, HPV-DNA analyses and treatment in order to address the nation needs unmet health services related to cervical cancer."", in cancer screening", said a statement by Richard SeziberaMinistre of Rwanda to health.

"This vaccination and screening program brings us a little more about our goal to protect girls and women in our country."

Cervical cancer strikes about 500,000 worldwide each year, particularly in poor countries where PAP is infrequent. It is regarded as the cancer the second most common among women in the world after breast cancer.

"More than eighty five percent of cervical cancer cases occur in the poorest countries of the world, having an impact on affected women, their families and their communities", said Mark Feinberg, Director of public health and scientific officer at Merck vaccines.

"Reduce the incidence of cervical cancer is a very important objective of public health."