HPV testing in women under 30 could cause more harm than good, group says.

For women younger than 30 years, clinicians should not perform HPV testing at all because of the high prevalence of HPV infection in this age group, wrote authors. False positives in this age group could lead to downstream harms such unnecessary biopsies and hysterectomies, said Centor. Cervical cone biopsies could result in subsequent childbirth complications, added Mir. The American College of Physicians (ACP) said Pap smears should be the mainstay of cervical cancer screening in normal-risk women younger than 30, with molecular testing for human papilloma virus (HPV) reserved for older patients only. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACP/51292?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-05-01&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&mu_id=5883165