The FDA approves a new test to detect the strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) that are known to cause cervical cancer. The test, which identifies DNA from these high-risk virus types, is approved for use in women age 30 and older in combination with the Pap test, and for women of all ages who have an abnormal Pap test result. Subsequent studies show that HPV testing alone is significantly more sensitive at detecting advanced pre-cancers than the Pap test (96 percent vs. 55 percent), but HPV testing results in more false positive results. When combined, the HPV test and Pap tests are found to be 100 percent sensitive for identifying women at risk for cervical cancer. For women younger than age 30, however, the Pap test alone is sufficient and combined screening is not recommended.

The National Cancer Institute issues an alert recommending that physicians consider adding chemotherapy to radiation therapy for women being treated for invasive cervical cancer (cancer that has spread within the cervix or pelvis). This updated approach is based on several randomized trials showing that women lived longer when treated with both radiation and chemotherapy, compared to those treated with the prior standard of radiation or surgery alone.