The BC Cancer Agency has been running the Cervical Cancer Screening Program since 1949 and has decreased cervical cancer rates in BC by over 70%. The HPV FOCAL Study is being conducted by the BC Cancer Agency, in collaboration with the BC Centre for Disease Control, the UBC Departments of Family Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine, the McGill University Department of Epidemiology, and about 150 Family Practitioners in Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria. The purpose of this study is to see if a test for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) can replace the usual Pap test as the primary screening tool and allow women to be screened less frequently.

Regular cervical cancer screening with the Pap test can prevent about 7 out of 10 cases of cervical cancer in British Columbia. However, the Pap test was invented many years ago, it will not prevent all cases of cervical cancer and it is now known that there are other tests that may prove to be better at screening for cervical cancer or its precursors.

Researchers now know that cervical cancer is caused by certain types of HPV, a virus that is transmitted by sexual contact. It is estimated that 99.8% of cases of cervical cancer are attributed to HPV infection. There are more than 100 types of HPV. About 40 of these can infect the genital area. Some of the genital HPV types cause genital warts and about 15 others can cause cervical cancer. HPV is very common and there are usually no symptoms. Most adults will have had an infection with one of the many HPV types at some point in their lives but it usually goes away on its own within 24 months without any problem. However, for some women HPV will not go away. Over time, long term infection with a cancer causing HPV type may cause abnormal cervical cells that can progress to cervical cancer. For HPV to cause cervical cancer, it has to be present for many years.

More and more research is showing that testing women for HPV may offer a better way to screen for cervical cancer first (compared to the Pap test alone). Because the pap test is not as accurate as doctors would like it to be, women have had to get pap smears every year or two to make sure we don't miss anything of concern. HPV testing has been proven to be safe and effective at detecting what it's meant to detect. Because of this, it doesn't need to be done as often. Someone with a normal HPV test doesn't need to be tested again for at least 4 years.

An HPV test is taken the same way that a Pap test is taken.  If the HPV test is normal, the risk for cervical cancer is very low and research shows that subsequent screening can be done every four or five years. If the HPV is found, the risk for cervical cancer or its precursors may be higher so further follow-up will be done with a woman found to be HPV positive. The pap test identifies changes in the cells of the cervix that have already occurred. HPV testing allows us the opportunity to identify women at risk before any cell changes may occur. 

The HPV FOCAL Study is comparing cervical cancer screening with a pap test to screening with an HPV test.