A false-negative test result means you really do have an HPV infection, but the test indicates that you don't. This might cause a delay in appropriate follow-up tests or procedures.
HPV can be diagnosed only if a person has visible warts on genital skin or if they have an abnormal cervical smear result. If a person has no symptoms, there is no test to determine if HPV is present or has 'gone'. Cervical screening is not a test for HPV.
An HPV test result can be positive or negative. The HPV test and the Pap test are screening tests that can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early.
The most common reason for a negative Pap test with a positive HPV result is that the patient has an HPV infection, but the infection is not causing any cellular abnormalities. Cellular abnormalities caused by HPV can be quite focal on the cervix, while the HPV infection can be more widespread.
If no HPV is found in the sample, it is called HPV negative. In this situation, the cell changes are very likely to go back to normal or stay the same. So, it is safe for you to go back to the routine screening programme and have smear tests every 3 to 5 years depending on your age.
A Pap test can be normal (or “negative”), unclear, abnormal, or unsatisfactory. In contrast, an HPV test can be negative or positive. Even if a Pap test is negative, you still need a Pap exam every three years, as it's possible for the cells in your cervix to change.
Cervical cancer not caused by HPV is called HPV-negative cervical cancer and accounts for roughly 5% of all cervical cancer cases. The statistic above comes from a 2021 review of HPV-negative cervical cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that includes low risk and high risk HPV types.
You can get HPV by having vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone who has the virus. It is most commonly spread during vaginal or anal sex. It also spreads through close skin-to-skin touching during sex. A person with HPV can pass the infection to someone even when they have no signs or symptoms.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is not found in your sample
This means your risk of getting cervical cancer is very low. You do not need any further tests to check for abnormal cervical cells, even if you have had these in the past. You'll be invited for screening again in 3 or 5 years.
Other things can cause cells to look abnormal, including irritation, some infections (such as a yeast infection), growths (such as polyps in the uterus), and changes in hormones that occur during pregnancy or menopause. Although these things may make cervical cells look abnormal, they are not related to cancer.
There is no sure way to know when you got HPV or who gave it to you. A person can have HPV for many years before it is detected.
Pap tests, sometimes called Pap smears, look for abnormal cells on your cervix that can possibly lead to cervical cancer. Pap tests find cell changes caused by high-risk HPV, but they don't test for HPV itself. After your doctor sends your Pap test to the lab, the results will come back as “normal” or “abnormal.”
It's up to 30 percent of people [who] are falsely positive." These false positive cases can lead to unnecessary, higher risk follow-up procedures, like biopsies. "That's a lot of women that are unnecessarily worried.
Whether you are going to get a human papillomavirus (HPV) screening for the first time or you are waiting for results, you are likely wondering about the accuracy of an HPV test. Those getting tested can rest assured that the HPV test is very accurate.
Sex partners who have been together tend to share HPV, even when both partners do not show signs of HPV. Having HPV does not mean that a person or their partner is having sex outside the current relationship. There is no treatment to eliminate HPV itself. HPV is usually dealt with by your body's immune system.
People can be infected with HPV without having sexual intercourse. The likelihood of exposure increases with the number of partners a person has, and HPV will often spread early in a relationship as the person is newly exposed to the virus.
Partners who are sexually intimate only with each other are not likely to pass the same virus back and forth. When HPV infection goes away the immune system will remember that HPV type and keep a new infection of the same HPV type from occurring again.
Cervical cell changes happen slowly. It can take many years for cells infected with HPV to develop into cervical cancer. We have great tools to prevent cervical cancer. Cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination can prevent cervical cancer.
Precancerous lesions at other sites in the body may cause symptoms like itching or bleeding. And if an HPV infection develops into cancer, the cancer may cause symptoms like bleeding, pain, or swollen glands. Learn more about signs and symptoms of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers.
There are at least 12 high-risk strains of HPV, but only two—types 16 and 18—cause the majority of HPV-related cancers, including those involving the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, and anus. High-risk HPV strains can also lead to cancers of the throat, tongue, and tonsils, known as oropharyngeal cancer.
Human papillomavirus virus (HPV) and herpes are often confused as they can be sexually transmitted and cause genital lesions, however, they are caused by two different and unrelated viruses.
HPV and HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) can be confused but in fact are completely different viruses. How common is HPV? HPV is extremely common and most people will be infected with one or more types, which can include the types that cause cancer, at some point in their lives.
"Having HPV is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. 8 in 10 people will have HPV in their lifetime. In most people the immune system will get rid of the virus without it causing any problems." If you have questions or concerns about your HPV diagnosis, speak with a trusted healthcare professional.
The Pap smear test is not 100% accurate and cervical cancer may be missed in a small number of cases. Fortunately, cervical cancer develops very slowly in most women and follow-up Pap smears should identify worrisome changes in plenty of time for treatment.
Accuracy of the Pap Test
Studies that compare the Pap test with repeat Pap testing have found that the sensitivity of any abnormality on a single test for detecting high-grade lesions is 55% to 80%.