A genetic test to
screen for cervical cancer is an exciting development. However, at a time when cost
is central to providing equitable, affordable and accessible care,
it is unfortunate that the FDA approved the genetic test without a comparative
judgment. There are important questions that should be answered before the Pap
test that has been so effective in shrinking the incidence and mortality of
cervical cancer is replaced by a more expensive but possibly no more effective
test. If, as mentioned in Monday's editorial, the cost will be twice that of a
Pap test, will it detect that many more cancers? Will its increased cost
discourage women, particularly of lower socioeconomic status, to avoid
screening? Without answers to these questions, among others, how will we know
if the genetic test is a major advance for women’s health or an advance for the
well being of its producers?
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