HPV Testing Can Replace Pap Smears for Many Women, New Guidelines Say

Pap smears, long the gold standard for cervical cancer screening, may be used less frequently under new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The recommendations, which were published Tuesday in JAMA, say that women between ages 30 and 65 can rely on human papillomavirus (HPV) testing instead of, or in addition to, Pap smears.