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Ask An Expert: High Risk HPV
Question:
If a Pap smear result came back with "high risk HPV," what does that mean?
Answer:
HPV stands for human papillomavirus. It is a very common virus that infects skin and other tissues, including the cervix. Infection with certain high-risk types of the virus is a necessary step in the development of cervical cancer. However, most infected women will clear the virus without developing precancerous changes or cervical cancer.
The Pap smear is a screening test for detecting women at risk for precancerous lesions on the cervix. Women with abnormal Pap smears are advised to undergo a more invasive test called colposcopy for precise diagnosis and treatment planning. However, some Pap smears cannot be clearly interpreted as either normal or abnormal, and are called atypical Pap smears.
In the past, a woman with an atypical Pap smear had to undergo colposcopy to clarify whether she was truly at risk for cancer. Now, cells obtained for Pap smear can also be tested for HPV. If a woman has an atypical Pap smear, but the cells test negative for the high-risk virus, her risk of actually having precancerous disease is very small, and she can safely defer colposcopy. On the other hand, if a woman tests positive for high-risk HPV, she can be promptly referred for additional evaluation by colposcopy.
Joan Bengtson, M.D., is assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproduction at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
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| Last updated: | January 24, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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