J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care: first published as 10.1136/jfprhc.2011.0100 on 31 March 2011. Downloaded from Commentary Ushering in a new era: human papillomavirus (HPV) testing comes to the NHS Cervical Screening Programme Anne Szarewski Centre for Cancer Prevention, Background could automatically have an HPV test per- Wolfson Institute for Preventive The National Health Service Cervical formed on their sample, without the need Medicine, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK Screening Programme (NHSCSP) has for the woman to be re-examined. If high- announced that from April 2011, human risk HPV is found they will be referred for Correspondence to papillomavirus (HPV) testing will be colposcopy; if HPV is not found they will Dr Anne Szarewksi, Centre for incorporated into the national screening be returned to routine screening. Cancer Prevention, Wolfson Institute for Preventive Medicine, programme in England. Initially, HPV Why has the NHSCSP chosen to use Queen Mary, University of testing will be used for the triage of bor- triage in the management of women with London, Charterhouse Square, derline and mildly dyskaryotic smears, but mild, as well as borderline, dyskaryosis? London EC1M 6BQ, UK; there are also plans, at a later date, for its The American College of Obstetrics and
[email protected] use as a ‘test of cure’ following treatment Gynecology published guidelines on the 1 Received 10 February 2011 for cervical abnormalities (Figure 1). It use of HPV triage in 2009, but only rec- Accepted 17 February 2011 would have been interesting to see the ommended its use in women with atypical data underpinning the proposals, but no squamous cells of unknown significance references were given.