Self-Assessment Questions

44. Cervical cancer

• A 21-year-old woman comes in to clinic and asks about human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as a primary screen for cervical cancer in lieu of a Pap test. What do you advise her?

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  Correct answer:
  HPV testing is not recommended as primary screening for women under the age of 30. This is because many young women have transient HPV infections that do not lead to carcinogenesis. An HPV infection typically must persist for years before causing cervical cancer. Thus, the use of HPV testing as the primary screen for cervical cancer in this age group would be inappropriate as it would lead to a high number of false-positive results and unnecessary intervention.