The Truth About HPV: What Your Pap smear Reveals
RSS Feed Pap Smears & HPV Testing After 30: What Results Mean and What Happens Next
Duncan Turner, MD explains that for patients over 30, Pap smears are often paired with HPV DNA testing to better estimate cervical cancer risk. He reviews how the Pap smear, developed around 1950, detects abnormal cervical cells, and how HPV was later identified as the cause of these changes. If HPV is found but Pap results are normal, clinicians typically examine the cervix more closely with a microscope to ensure nothing is missed. If mildly abnormal cells are present but HPV is negative, patients are usually followed up in about a year. HPV typing helps identify higher-risk groups that are more likely to cause cancer, guiding closer monitoring or efforts to stimulate the immune system. He notes most patients clear HPV on their own, it is sexually transmitted, partners should be contacted and evaluated, and immunization plus observation can largely prevent cervical cancer.
00:00 Pap Smear History & HPV Discovery
00:40 Combined Testing Protocol
01:07 HPV Typing & Patient Follow-up
01:34 Treatment & Prevention
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