About a month ago, I got a Pap smear from my family physician. Although I have already received the bill from the lab, I still haven’t gotten the results from my doctor’s office. Last week, I had a mammogram. Mayo Clinic said they will send me a letter with the results. This kind of waiting and relying on the overburdened staff at the doctors’ offices is annoying, So guess what I’m going to do?

TUESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- A new study confirms previous findings that human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA-based tests are more accurate than Pap smears in detecting precancerous lesions.

It was already known that the HPV test uncovered more infections and precancerous lesions than Pap smears (cytology), but it wasn't clear whether HPV tests would lead to the treatment of patients whose immune systems would fight off infections -- meaning that these women didn't require treatment, anyway.