Leading medical organizations have recommended a human papillomavirus (H.P.V.) for testing women for cervical cancer before adopting Papanicolaousmear screening.

The new guidance published in Gynecologic Oncology, the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease and Obstetrics & Gynecology is believed to be not acceptable to all major medical groups. It provides direction to doctors interested in using H.P.V. test for screening. Lead author Dr. Warner Huh pointed out that H.P.V. test are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Huh also said that it is important to provide adequate information to the providers so they can understand the approach.The clinical guidance also provides an overview of the advantages and disadvantages linked to the approach of suing these tests.

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) have said that more than 12,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,092 in the country died from the disease. Experts have said that nearly all cervical cancersare caused by H.P.V.

The H.P.V. test and Pap test involve scraping cells from a woman's cervix and vagina for screening. The H.P.V. test looks for presence of the virus while thePap testlooks for abnormal cells to detect the disease