What Can a Pap Smear Detect?
- A Pap smear can be used to detect cervical cancer or changes in cervical cells that suggest a woman is at risk of developing cervical cancer
- Recently, guidelines have moved towards using the primary HPV test, given to women every 5 years, to screen for cervical cancer
- Unfortunately, there is no widely-available test to regularly screen for ovarian cancer
What Can a Pap Smear Detect?
A Pap smear involves collecting cells from the cervix and examining them. The test can detect cervical cancer, as well as changes in cells that may increase a woman’s risk of developing cervical cancer in the future.
Read MoreWhy Do I Need a Pap Smear?
New American Cancer Society (ACS) guidelines, released in 2020, suggest that women opt for a primary HPV test or a co-test in the place of the regular Pap smear.RELATED: HPV and Cancer Risk – The Basics
While Pap smears are still effective at detecting cervical cancer, the primary HPV test is more sensitive. The HPV test looks for DNA or RNA from certain high-risk strains of HPV — those that cause cancer — in samples taken from the cervix.
Co-testing refers to performing both a Pap and HPV test at the same time.
However, not every doctor offers the primary HPV test — and the Pap test is a perfectly adequate alternative when the more sensitive test is not available. It does need to be performed more often, though.
What Age Should I Get a Pap Smear?
According to the new ACS guidelines, anyone who has a cervix should begin cervical cancer screening at age 25 and undergo testing for the primary human papillomavirus (HPV) every five years through the age of 65.
Both Pap and HPV tests take place during routine visits to the gynecologist through a pelvic exam, and the same set of sample cells may be used for both tests.
Since the primary HPV test is more accurate that the Pap test — according to several recent studies — it can be done less often, the ACS said when it released the new guidelines. If your doctor does not provide the HPV test, Pap smears should be done every three years.
Dr. Bobbie Rimel, gynecologic oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, explains why she recommends that children get the HPV vaccine.
Do I Need Screening if I Got the HPV Vaccine?
Yes. Even if you’ve been vaccinated against the strains of HPV that are known to cause cancer, you should still get regular cervical cancer screenings.
In a previous conversation with SurvivorNet, Dr. Kimberly Levinson, director of Johns Hopkins Gynecologic Oncology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, pointed out that screening is still crucial because of how difficult it can be to detect cervical cancer otherwise.
"This is not a cancer that produces symptoms early on," she said. "So it is absolutely critical that we have women being screened so that we can prevent this disease."
HPV and Cervical Cancer
Dr. Levinson stressed the importance of getting the HPV vaccination, especially for young adults who weren’t vaccinated as kids. "Every woman who is eligible for that should get it," she said. "That is a number-one, primary prevention."
HPV also causes cancers in men, and men should also get the vaccine, according to experts.
RELATED: Get the Facts: HPV Can Cause Cancer in Men Too
Recent adjustments to HPV vaccination guidelines say that 26 is the absolute latest that people should get the vaccine, since a large number of sexually-active adults will be exposed to HPV by then.
How is Ovarian Cancer Detected?
Unfortunately, there is no widely-available test to screen for ovarian cancer. Doctors may be inclined to do a workup on a woman if she has a family history of the disease and is exhibiting certain symptoms, but like cervical cancer — the disease often doesn’t prevent serious symptoms until it has progressed to a later stage.
Dr. Beth Karlan, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, explains how ovarian cancer is detected.
The symptoms of the disease can be non-specific, like:
- A feeling of bloating or fullness
- Pain in the pelvis or abdomen
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Changes in bowel habits
Still, women should be aware of the symptoms and notify doctors of any changes or new symptoms. When detected early, ovarian cancer has a better than 90% cure rate.
Learn More About Ovarian Cancer
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