Cancer jab testing boost

Published on Tuesday 9 November 2010 14:24

GIRLS who receive the cervical cancer vaccination may only need screening of the disease twice in their lifetimes, an expert has claimed.

Cervical cancer should become a "rare disease" thanks to the introduction of the vaccine, said Professor Peter Sasieni, from Queen Mary, University of London.

Girls who have the jab when they are 12 or 13 would only need testing for the disease when they are 30 and 45, he said. The vaccine protects against key strains of the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer.

Prof Sasieni suggested the current smear test programme, which sees women invited for screening every three to five years, could be replaced with HPV testing.

The HPV test picks up 13 strains of the disease, which account for virtually all cervical cancer cases.