Great strides have been made towards reducing the incidence, morbidity and mortality of cervical cancer. Much of this is due to the introduction of the Pap test (or Pap smear) as a cervical cancer screening tool.  Its widespread use has reduced deaths attributed to cervical cancer by 70%.8 However, the Pap test is not 100% effective in detecting the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells. In some instances Pap tests results inaccurately show abnormal cell growth when in fact the cervix is healthy; this is termed a false positive. Other times, the Pap test fails to detect abnormal cell growth; which is referred to as a false negative. It is estimated that the false positive rate is approximately 5% and the false negative rate is between 20-30%.10 In instances where the results from a Pap test are inconclusive or abnormal, a health care provider may perform a colposcopy, a procedure where a special microscope (colposcope) is used to visually examine the cervix and detect abnormalities.

There is an ongoing effort to improve detection mechanisms to reduce the rates of false positive and false negative results. One example is the development of a DNA test for HPV that can detect the 13- high-risk types of HPV which may lead to cervical cancer. In women age 30 years and older, the FDA has approved the use of the HPV test in concurrence with her annual pap test. However, in women younger than 30, the test is used only in instances where results from a Pap test are inconclusive.7 

Finally, Gardasil, a vaccine for preventing HPV infection is currently on the market. The vaccine protects against two strains of HPV that cause 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer, as well as two other strains which cause 90 percent of genital warts cases. The vaccine is given in three shots over the course of six months. The HPV vaccine has been approved for girls and women ages 9 to 26, and recommended for routine use in girls 11-12 years old. It is also recommended that women 13 to 18 years old receive “catch up” vaccinations. Gardasil has been included in the federal Vaccines for Children Program, thereby allowing uninsured and underinsured children to receive the vaccine for free. Additionally, various states and school districts have approved of and are considering mandatory vaccination for school admittance. please see our HPV Vaccine Fact Sheet.

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