PAP + HPV Co-Testing Increases Cevical Cancer Detection

PAP + HPV Co-Testing Increases Cevical Cancer Detection

Historically, the Papanicolaou (Pap) test was one of the most powerful weapons primarily responsible for the dramatic reduction in cervical cancer in the twentieth century. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the combined use of Pap tests and high-risk human papillomavirus virus (HPV) based molecular assays contributed to a steady decline in the incidence of cervical cancer. However, recent developments in cervical cancer screening, including the approval of a DNA-based HPV test as a stand-alone method for screening, has stirred debate on whether the Pap test should remain part of frontline cervical cancer screening.