Battling Cervical Cancer: DNA Test More Effective Than Pap Smear

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA/CBS)--A DNA HPV test that detects the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, is more effective than Pap smears at detecting and preventing the disease. This is according to an 8-year study of 130,000 women in India. The study was financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Cervical cancer claims the lives of an estimated 4,000 Americans each year, with many of those deaths preventable with earlier detection.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection.

"The pap smear is not as sensitive as the HPV," general practitioner Dr. Steven Lamm tells CBS news. "So there are a lot of women who might be negative on the pap smear, and then turn out to actually have cervical cancer."

The National Cancer Institute says HPV testing should eventually replace pap smears as the best early detection method.