{"id":1225,"date":"2023-06-10T12:26:57","date_gmt":"2023-06-10T01:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bhc.health4community.com.au\/?p=1225"},"modified":"2024-01-22T15:12:30","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T04:12:30","slug":"cervical-screening-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bhc.health4community.com.au\/cervical-screening-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Cervical screening explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of 2017, the way we screened for cervical cancer changed from \u201cPap Smear\u201d to \u201cCST\u201d (Cervical Screening Test), and to many a woman\u2019s delight, the normal testing interval changed from two to five years. Hooray! But why can we now wait that long between tests? Is that safe? How is the new test different anyway? What is HPV? And what\u2019s this I\u2019ve heard about a \u201cself-collect\u201d test?<\/p>\n

The Pap Smear <\/strong><\/p>\n

Previously, your GP would collect cells from the inside of the cervix (the lower end of the uterus that connects it to the vagina) with a brush. These cells were then sent off to a lab where they were examined for any cancerous or precancerous abnormalities.<\/p>\n

The Culprit<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve known for a few decades now that most (99.7%) of cervical cancers are associated with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection. It is sexually transmitted, and generally causes no symptoms in men or women. Most people will acquire HPV at some point in their life, and their immune system will clear the infection without them ever realising they had it. There are only a few specific strains of HPV that are at high risk of causing cancer. Even with infection, it generally takes years<\/strong> for the virus to cause cancerous changes in the cervical cells.<\/p>\n

The Big Discovery<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1990, Queensland Scientists Ian Frazer and Jian Zhou began working on a vaccine against these high-risk strains of HPV.\u00a0 In 2006, following extensive clinical trials which, it was approved for use in Australia and in 2007 became part of Australia\u2019s National Immunisation Program.<\/p>\n

Since then, cervical cancer rates have plummeted by almost 90%.<\/p>\n

The Cervical Screening Test<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that we know nearly all cervical cancers are caused by HPV, why not test for HPV first and catch the whole process earlier? That\u2019s exactly what the CST does. IF a woman has no<\/strong> abnormal symptoms* and no <\/strong>recent abnormal tests, the GP will collect the sample the same as before, but instead of looking for cancerous cells, the laboratory will test for HPV and even test specifically for high-risk strains.<\/p>\n