Ask An Expert: HPV Test

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Ask An Expert: HPV Test

Question:

How is the HPV test distinct from the Pap test? Is HPV a blood test? What kind of test finds sexually transmitted diseases?

Answer:

The Pap smear has been very successful in reducing cervical cancer in women who receive regular screenings. A sample of cells from the surface of the cervix is collected and studied to identify precancerous changes. Women with precancerous cells (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or CIN) are then treated to prevent cancer from developing.

Most women with cervical cancer are infected with specific types of the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is quite common among sexually active women, but only a small number of those infected will develop cancer. HPV can be detected in the same cervical cells used for a Pap smear. HPV is not detected by blood tests.

Since HPV is so important in causing cervical cancer, ideally we would treat infected women with the goal of eliminating the virus. Unfortunately, no treatment is available to do this. There is, however, a vaccine for HPV that prevents infection. The vaccine should be considered for all girls before they are exposed to the virus through sexual intercourse.

As there is no treatment for HPV, most screening programs continue to rely primarily on the Pap smear to identify women with precancerous cells who need treatment to prevent cancer. Pap tests are sometimes difficult to interpret, and they have a high rate of false negative results. HPV testing is used with the Pap smear to help clarify the best way to manage these situations.

Other sexually transmitted diseases are identified by cultures of the cervix (for example, gonorrhea) and blood tests (for example, hepatitis and HIV).

Joan Bengtson, M.D., is assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproduction at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

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Last updated:	July 01, 2007

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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