Dynacare Inc now provides human papillomavirus (HPV) testing directly from liquid-based Pap test vials. This advanced technology enhances Dynacare's HPV testing capabilities, which also includes testing on specially preserved cervical swabs.

HPV testing is recommended for women with borderline Pap test results to more effectively determine their risk for developing cervical cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, HPV is now recognized as the agent responsible for virtually all cases of cervical cancer.

Dynacare is conducting cervical screening using ThinPrep Pap Test, a liquid-based method for cervical cancer screening developed by Cytyc Corporation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the ThinPrep Pap Test as significantly more effective than the conventional Pap smear.

While more than 50 million women receive Pap tests each year, approximately two million receive inconclusive results with the diagnosis of ASCUS, or "Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance." The clinical management of uncertain Pap test results is widely considered to be a complex and expensive public health challenge. For patients, it means being required to return to the doctor's office after three to six months for a follow-up Pap test or more invasive procedures. This can often lead to unnecessary costs as well as patient anxiety while waiting for the prognosis. Offering HPV testing directly out of a ThinPrep Pap Test vial allows physicians to request an HPV test immediately for patients with borderline Pap results.

According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 15,000 American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and about 5,000 die from the disease. Cervical cancer is almost 100 percent curable if detected early; yet one-third of women diagnosed with the disease will die from it and the remaining two-thirds will undergo radical treatment to avert terminal illness because the cancer was not detected early enough.

"Dynacare has adopted the ThinPrep Pap Test with the added benefit of HPV testing to allow for the early detection of disease and ultimately safeguard the health of women," says Harvey Shapiro, president and chief executive officer of Dynacare. "Our goal is to help physicians provide the best care possible to their patients by providing them with the most advanced screening technology available."