Cost effectiveness of human papilloma virus testing in cervical cancer screening: a literature review

Human papilloma virus DNA testing may improve the cost effectiveness of cervical cancer screening programs. However, the circumstances to get this improvement are not the same between countries. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the cost effectiveness of introducing human papilloma virus testing in the current screening practice both in developed and developing countries. We conducted a review of published articles since January 2000 until December 2006 related to the cost effectiveness of introducing human papilloma virus testing in cervical cancer screening programs. A total of 17 original researches and six reviews were analyzed. Human papilloma virus testing is cost effective in developed countries only if it is a complementary test to Pap test and used to determine the management of women with atypical squamus cells of undetermined significance, the interval among tests is increased more than two years and it is performed in women over 30 years. On the other hand, developing countries should establish first organized screening programs and guarantee full coverage and access to diagnosis and treatment.