Plainview, NY (PRWEB) January 2, 2007
Like mammograms and properly-visits, an annual PAP test to screen for cervical cancer is a component of most American women's routine wellness examinations. Nevertheless, a new kind of molecular screening test can now confirm the presence of the virus recognized to trigger cervical cancer -- the Human Papillomavirus, or HPV -- even when cancer has not yet developed.
"Molecular testing for the HPV virus is a massive step forward in early diagnosis, early treatment and possibly even prevention of cervical cancer in America," notes Dr. George Hollenberg, MD, a leading pathology professional and founder of Acupath Laboratories in New York. In contrast to a standard PAP test, the molecular HPV test works by identifying the "DNA footprint" of the virus itself. "This test can tell us whether or not or not HPV is present, and if it is, it also can tell us if the HPV strain is one of the 13 high-risk varieties we know can cause cervical cancer -- out of more than 100 identified strains of the virus," Dr. Hollenberg adds.
Numerous recent studies comparing this test, called the "HC2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test," with the newest liquid cytology PAP tests, confirm that the HPV test is a far more dependable indicator that "dysplasia," or precancer, is present. In fact, in a study published in the April 2006 International Journal of Cancer, researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 60,000 ladies in Europe and North America. They discovered that the HPV test was far more sensitive in detecting early warning signs than the PAP test by a margin of 96 percent to 53 percent, respectively. In addition, the authors noted that the false-positive rate for PAP testing also is far higher than that of the new HPV test, leading to unneeded anxiety and fear for patients.
HPV: A Silent Scourge
"HPV infection is a largely silent threat to women's health," explains Dr. Hollenberg. "It's estimated that up to 80 percent of American girls will be infected with some form of HPV by the time they're 50, but numerous strains of the virus -- such as those high-risk strains associated with cervical cancer -- are symptomless," he adds. Of those 13 high-risk strains, two in certain have been identified as the cause of nearly 70 percent of all cervical cancer circumstances.
"Combining a traditional PAP test with the HPV test supplies a clearer picture of a patient's current cervical health, as nicely as her risk of creating cervical cancer in the future," Dr. Hollenberg notes. While some doctors order the tests be run concurrently, others may possibly order the PAP alone 1st, and retest making use of the molecular HPV test if the PAP tests are positive or inconclusive for cervical adjustments that may indicate cancer. Still far more doctors are unaware of the proven effectiveness of the new HPV test, or simply opt not to utilize it. However, Dr. Hollenberg encourages ladies -- especially those in the highest risk category of sexually active ladies ages 30-50 -- to ask their healthcare providers for an HPV test in addition to their annual PAP exam. "In most instances, both tests can be run employing the exact same cell samples collected during a PAP screen," he points out. "What's a lot more, due to the fact the HPV test reveals the existence of the virus that can trigger cancer even just before any cancer is present, the data gleaned from it can be vital in lowering the incidence of invasive cervical cancer diagnoses, as nicely as cervical cancer deaths," he concludes.
According to the Centers for Illness Control (http://www.cdc.gov), approximately 10,000 American girls will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer this year, and almost 4,000 girls will die of the disease.
About Dr. George Hollenberg
Dr. George Hollenberg, M.D. is an authority in the fields of pathology, clinical pathology and dermatopathology with expertise in the areas of dysplastic nevi, melanoma, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer. Board-certified in Pathology and Dermatopathology, Dr. Hollenberg is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists, The American Society of Dermatopathology and the AMA. He has published articles on skin, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer, and is the Consultant in Dermatopathology to The North Shore University Hospital Center. As the founding director of Acupath Laboratories, Inc., Dr. Hollenberg supervises the analysis of tens of thousands of biopsies per year, employing the newest cutting-edge technology in histology and immunocytochemistry, as well as the newest advances in computerized report preparation.
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