YET ANOTHER MEDICAL STAPLE TEST PROVEN FAULTY..... (shared from WDDTY) Annual Pap smear test does more harm than good Doctors are still offering women an annual Pap smear test for cervical cancer—even though they have been told the test can do more harm than good. The test throws up too many false-positives—‘seeing’ cancerous or abnormal tissue that is actually healthy—and so an annual test has become an outdated practice, say researchers. Instead, doctors are advised to carry out a smear test only once every three years on women aged from 21 to 69 years. But a study has discovered that doctors are still offering an annual Pap test, mainly as a way to encourage women to visit the surgery once a week so that other checks can also be performed. An abnormal Pap result triggers a series of further, and more invasive, tests. A colposcopy, where the cervix is examined more closely, and a biopsy, where a sample is taken, are often the next steps. A biopsy can cause pain and bleeding, and the woman has to live with the stress of a possible cancer diagnosis for months. But, as researchers from the University of North Carolina say, too many Pap test results are false-positives. It’s enough that women aged from 21 years have a Pap test once every three years, while those aged between 30 and 65 could have one every five years. (Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2013; 45: 248-9).
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 08:29:57 +0000
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