engleski

Use of HPV DNA testing in a setting with a long tradition of cervical cytology: A Croatian example

Opportunistic cervical cancer screening by Papanicolou (Pap) test was introduced in Croatia in the 1960s. Since then the number of Pap smears taken annually was continuously increasing and nowadays has reached to more than 500, 000 in the entire country. This was accompanied with decreasing cervical cancer incidence rates through the years. However, in the absence of an organized population-based program, it is difficult to assess the efficacy of this screening and it is clear that a large proportion of target population remains un-screened or under-screened. The only way to achieve further reductions in cervical cancer cases is through the introduction of an organized cervical cancer screening program that is in the process of being implemented. In addition, HPV DNA testing that is used in clinical settings since 1995 in Croatia, became a part of diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations. This overview focuses on the particularities of the Croatian cytological classification and the utility of combined use of both Pap and HPV DNA tests.

human papillomaviruses; cervical cancer

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