A study of cervical cancer testing methods published in the journal The Lancet Oncology yesterday found that human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA tests limited more malignant cervical cancer than pap smears because they detected more lesions at an earlier stage thereby reducing cervical cancer deaths.

The new research will lead to Australian women over-35s to be subjected to fewer pap smears and have longer intervals between cervical cancer screening tests.

Italian data involving 95,000 women suggested that those tested for HPV developed fewer cancers than those who only had smears.

The team from the Centre for Cancer Prevention in Turin said further research was needed to decide the timing of intervals between tests, but it recommend pap smears should be reserved for women who tested positive for HPV.

However, it did not recommend the change for women under 35 as HPV tests in its study led to over diagnosis of pre-cancerous abnormalities, which may become malignant if ignored.

The report was also welcomed by Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, which funds one of the study's authors, who claimed, "Cervical screening looks for changes in the cells of the cervix before a cancer has developed".

HPV testing is hoped to play a significant role in the future of older women as the number of transient HPV infections in younger women is high.