Health
Frequent Pap smears may be an option for young women with abnormal tests
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 22, 2004
Having Pap smears more often rather than having a colposcopy may be a viable option for adolescent girls with low-grade cervical lesions. Human papillomavirus testing may also play a role in deciding the course of action, according to a study published Nov. 6 in the Lancet.
For five years, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, monitored 187 women ages 13 to 22 at the time of their first abnormal Pap smear. After one year, 61% of the lesions had disappeared. After three years, that number reached 91%. A negative HPV test was associated with regression.
Researchers concluded that HPV testing could be useful for monitoring cervical lesions and that colposcopy may be not be needed.
An accompanying commentary by researchers from London's Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine said that the data suggested that colposcopy for young women with these kinds of lesions is unwarranted.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/11/22/hlbf1122.htm.
