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http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Guided-Therapeutics-Inc-Submits-First/story.aspx?guid=%7B55887FA2-BBFE-498F-96DB-D891D618BF6B%7D
A company named Guided Therapeutics has submitted the first of a three-part process to obtain FDA approval for a new cervical cancer screening device. The FDA has already declared the technology to be "non-significant risk" by hospital institutional review boards.
Basically, the device is this little flashlight that you insert and shines light on the cervix. It then reads the lightwaves that bounce back and based on the scans of these lightwaves, it distinguishes between healthy and diseased cervical tissue. Unlike the PAP smear and the other HPV tests, it does not require a tissue sample or lab analysis and will give a diagnosis instantly. It also has the potential to be significantly more accurate than either the PAP or the HPV tests, our two current screening methods and more than 3,000 women have tested the prototypes with absolutely no instances of significant or unexpected adverse reactions.
This is very good news and I hope the approval comes soon. It would be such a relief to do away with PAP smears and to not be concerned that I don't have the money for the more expensive (and not often recommended) HPV test.
