Pap smear on way out

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 33

Pap smear on way out

MELISSA SWEET

NZPA-AAP Sydney A sophisticated camera soon will offer Australian women an alternative to the often embarrassing Papinicolaou smear as a test for cervical cancer, according to a Sydney gynaecologist. Dr Bill Molloy, the first doctor in Australia to set up a cerviscope screening service, predicted it would “take off like mad” when other doctors learned of its value. He told AAP the cerviscope was up to five times more accurate than Pap smears, and far less invasive because it did not involve cervical scraping. The sAustsooo ($5600) camera took two photographs of the cervix, the part of the uterus which opens into the vagina. One of the photographs was retained by the woman for a permanent, continuous record, he said. If widely used, the service could lead to a decline in cervical cancer, partly because women were probably more reluctant to have Pap shears. e Cervical cancer, which

can be prevented if detected at an early stage, claims the lives of 300 Australian women every year. Dr Molloy said cerviscopes probably would not completely replace Pap smears, but he expected their use to become extremely widespread. Developed in the United States, cerviscopes at present were used by only two Australian doctors — the other being in Melbourne. Dr Molloy said about 15 per cent of Pap smears were inaccurate, whereas the cerviscope had only a 3 per cent inaccuracy rate. Use of the camera had become widespread in the United states and Europe over the last year to 18 months. Dr Molloy said the service cost sAust4o ($44) and was not rebated by either Medicare or private health funds, while Pap smears cost sAustls ($l6) and were rebateable. “But it’s worth it — thinking, intelligent women will want to know what their cervix Iqoks like,” he said.